Death Note Novel: The Draycott Factor
by Tower of Babel
Summary: Demetre Draycott & Light Yagami are unknown rivals, and with Demetre now a member of the Savant Society and Light just recently losing his memory of the Death Note, a new enemy is coming out to seize power!
1. A New Shimigami Descends to the Human Wo

This story takes place just as the "Second" Kira makes an appearance. This story introduces a new character into the fold of Death Note, who becomes another rival like L to Light Yagami - but unlike L, this new rival possesses a Death Note, and has a much different agenda than Light Yagami. This story does not interfere with the Death Note story and plays in between established events.

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"_**THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR"**_

_**PROLOGUE - A NEW SHINIGAMI DESCENDS TO THE HUMAN WORLD**_

The Shinigami descended down the spiral staircase, and then stood on the precipice edge that overlooked the mystical time pool in the Shinigami Realm.

He had purposely dropped his Death Note in the human world and now, by Shinigami law, he had to go and retrieve it. However, gauging on the advise of another Shinigami, he waited a few days before coming. This way, no doubt, a human would pick it up. Then the fun would begin.

He was bored. And this would provide some much needed entertainment from the mundane, insipid existence in being a Shinigami.

The Shinigami Realm was a dilapidated, barren wasteland. The human world, he heard, was interesting, lush, and lively.

But unlike the Shinigami he spoke to, he would do things differently. The other Shinigami had told him all about his experiences he had in the human world, and with a human who tried to become a god. In the end, the human failed, and the Shinigami wrote the man's name in his Death Note.

The Shinigami had told this story to many other Shinigami, who then passed it on. This is how word spread that the human world was an interesting place. Well, to some anyway. Most Shinigami didn't care, and they carried on with their boring lives.

But as years passed, and more Shinigami began to take interest in the human world, and the story the Shinigami had told. . . it interested him, and he watched events the Shinigami told of playback in a time portal viewer in the bones of a long dead Shinigami skull, fashioned into a sphere.

The portal saw everything past, present and future. Time was relative, so it was possible to know everything about anything. The human world was but one existence, yet it interested him greatly, and he wanted to experience it, too. And the time the Shinigami spoke of was where he wanted to visit. So that's where he threw his Death Note.

Fun awaited him, and he was eager to embrace it.

Wings sprouted from his back, and jumping off the precipice. . .he leapt into the time pool. Its supernatural properties engulfed him in a bright white light. And the next thing he knew, he was in the human world.

He flew through the air across the city landscape of Japan, and landed on top of a tall skyscraper, overlooking an urban jungle of human achievement. Humans were so ingenious when it came to constructing monuments and technologies to themselves. They were selfish, vain, and ravenous. Smart beasts. What a contradiction in terms, he mused. He wondered which human had picked up his Death Note. It called him like a beacon. The human resided in Japan.

He leapt off the building and took flight, and was excited about the entertainment that would unfold.

to be continued


	2. A New Death Note Emerges

_**I - A NEW DEATH NOTE NOTEBOOK EMERGES**_

Three days earlier, Japan.

Demetre Draycott watched Kira's broadcast on the large video projection screen in Hachiko Square amongst others in a crowd. He lived in the Kanto Region of Japan. His parents moved here when he was child because it had the best institutions and schools in Japan.

As Kira spoke, everyone stopped to listen. People listened intently as Kira expressed his will and intent - a world without crime and corruption.

Kira killed criminals. Thousands of sites were popping up on the internet and people theorized about him. There was even a site called _Kira Underground_ that had a forum where you could post people who deserved to die. But an explanation had to accompany the name or the person would not die. Pictures and faces were even posted - most were criminals, others childish pranks - but it was obvious Kira was able to distinguish the serious posters from the jokers. Only criminals were being killed. The police were obviously monitoring the site, like many other Kira sites, but nothing was done to shut it down.

Murder was morally wrong, but people had a certain respect for what Kira was doing. The world was becoming a safe place for average citizens. L's broadcast was interesting, and with the death of Lind L. Taylor, his stand-in, Kira was proven to be real instead of some ghostly specter. The murders were premeditated.

But how was Kira killing? Demetre wondered.

Kira prognosticated the death of a TV personality on another channel - an NHN commentator - and Sakura TV aired it with a split screen. The man suffered a heart attack on live television. It was definitely Kira's signature method of murder.

A general panic began to bubble in the crowd. Kira hadn't kill a criminal, but a man merely outspoken about his actions.

But something wasn't right. Kira's tone was different. And if Demetre had to wager a guess, there was someone else with Kira's power out there. This _second_ Kira was malicious and murdered the innocent. The Kira he knew only killed criminals.

This second Kira was sending a message to the first. Anyone unaccepting of Kira's judgments were all potential targets.

Now there were two of them.

When the broadcast ended, or was rather abruptly cut short and replaced with a Sakura TV news anchor - it seemed the second Kira obviously had more to say - mutterings of anxiety and concern echoed within the crowd. Those once supportive of Kira were questioning their belief now. A blanket of a dark psychological fear begin to fill the air. But why would Kira allow this other Kira to do this, and on live TV?

Maybe, he wasn't. Maybe he was powerless to stop him, and just as surprised.

The second Kira had Kira's powers, but his voice sounded more submissive, as if it was not a message of intent, but a desire to follow. It was probably a way to get Kira's attention. Since Kira's appearance, he had made no announcements of his intent, he merely killed criminals, allowing the media to make up their own mind about him. But the second Kira liked the limelight. It was a complete contradiction of the Kira he knew. This was confirmation that there was two of them now.

He broke away from the crowd and escaped out into the open. The crowd was beginning to disperse, but Kira was on all their lips. What was Kira going to do now? After this public demonstration of power, his intention of order was clear. The second Kira had explained Kira's ideology. He knew there was going to be plenty of debate on the internet about his views. He wanted to make a better world, but did Kira intend to rule with a flag of fear?

The sun was setting. In staying to watch the second Kira's broadcast, he missed his regular bus. With rush hour traffic, it would take him twice as long to get home. He had come downtown to buy his girlfriend a present for their one year anniversary together in one week. Now it would be dark before he got home.

He cut across the square to take an alternate route, when something hit him in the head. Rubbing his head, he stepped back and looked at his feet to see what hit him. It was a book. He looked around, but no one looked suspicious who could have thrown it at him. Picking it up, the cover read Death Note.

"Death Note? As in a notebook of death?" He laughed. But as he read the inside cover, he stopped. "How to use it. The name whose written in this note shall die."

He closed it and went someplace secluded to read the rest. He found an alley behind a building and carefully began to read it.

_This note will not take effect unless the writer has the person's face in their mind when writing his/her name. Therefore, people with the same name will not be affected. If the cause of death is not specified, the person will simply die of a heart attack. After writing the cause of death, details of the death should be written in the next 6 minutes and 40 seconds._

"This has to be a prank, or a novelty item for a new comic book. It sounds like something a Manga writer would invent. The book is so simplistically designed. But the language is so percise."

But then a thought struck him. Kira kills by heart attack. Could this be Kira's method of killing? Did he have a Death Note? The concept was so ludicrous. How could a book kill people?

A well dressed man in a business suit entered the alley, followed by a dusky looking man in a wool hat, jeans and black jacket. The second man had a knife and threatened the first man pushing him against a brick wall. Agitated, almost hurriedly, the mugger demanded the man's wallet.

Ducking behind a metal trash can, he watched the mugging unfold in seclusion. The first man, a Japanese middle-aged man, scrambled for his wallet in the inside pocket of his jacket. He trembled with fear as he felt for it. When he found it, he gave it to the other. It was obvious Kira wasn't watching or he would kill the mugger where he stood. Kira killed criminals, and this man fitted the bill.

The Death Note. If he had the man's name, then he could kill the man for Kira by writing his name down. What was he thinking? He was no murderer, and neither was the book he was holding capable of murder. He put the thought of his mind.

But then, if Kira wasn't going to intervene - he would.

He stood up. Immediately the mugger spotted him. But he didn't flee. Staring the mugger down, he walked over to him. He looked at the large knife, but he wasn't daunted by his decision to face him. "You shouldn't be doing that. Aren't you afraid of Kira? He kills criminals like you."

"I'm not afraid of Kira!" the mugger retorted.

"I don't believe you. Everyone is afraid of Kira." Taking out his cell phone, he snapped a picture of the mugger with the camera. "Now I'll just post your face on the internet, tell Kira why he should kill you, and you'll be dead by tomorrow."

"You little bastard! Gimmie that phone!"

The middle-aged man used the distraction to flee the alley. The mugger still had his wallet, but the man obviously didn't care. He probably thought getting away alive was more important. However, this now brought a new unstable element of danger. Trapped, the main focus fell away from the man. . .

And onto Demetre.

Taking a couple of steps back, he quickly realized the folly of his decision in trying to confront the mugger. He didn't have a weapon. The man advanced on him with the knife. "I want that phone, kid. Hand it over, now, along with your wallet, too." The man's voice was brazen and harsh when he made his demand.

"No, Kira will eliminate scum like you. You deserve to die for your actions."

The man reached out and grabbed the Death Note, and looked at it. "What's this? Death Note? Some sort of strategy notebook for a new RPG game?" He quickly looked through it, but missed the inside cover entirely. "The pages are blank. You got ripped off, kid." He tossed it to the ground and it landed next to a bag of trash. "Now, do what I say, and maybe I won't kill you."

"I'm not ready to die yet."

Grabbing the bag of trash, he whipped it at the man. The man was surprised by the attack and was knocked down. Using that moment, he kicked the knife out of the man's hand and stomped on his stomach. The man reeled in pain. The stomp was hard enough to break a few ribs. Reaching into the man's pockets, he found a wallet, in addition to the middle-aged man's he had stolen. Picking up the Death Note, he grabbed a pen from his school bag, and wrote the man's name down after learning it from his driver's license. He threw the man's wallet back.

"Now if this works, you will die in 40 seconds."

He looked at his watch, then watched the man stumble to his feet. The man seemed adamant to continue with his assault. Forty seconds later, the man clutched his chest in agony and collapsed dead to the ground.

"The Death Note. . .it's for real! The man died of a heart attack just like it said. Kira must also have a Death Note. Where did this come from?"

He stepped out of the alley and looked at the setting sun. He looked down at the Death Note in his hands.

The Death Note had fallen from the sky and struck him, almost like it had chosen him to be its master.

But this could potentially be, if used maliciously, the worse mass murdering weapon the world could ever come to know. Kira was killing criminals, and the Second Kira seemed to share his goals, they were both speculatively using Death Notes. But if the Death Note ever fell into the hands of some unscrupulous person, someone with perhaps political connections. . .that could be disastrous.

But he was no saint. He praised what Kira was doing. He felt safer walking in the streets now. Crime was at an all time low, save for some, like the man in the alley. Now he had Kira's power, and if he wanted to, he could follow Kira, as well.

"No, I'm not a murderer." He looked back into the alley at the dead man. "But that man did deserve to die. It was either him or me."

He heard police sirens in the distance. Putting the Death Note into his book bag, he then left the area.

That night he refrained from continuing an essay for school for going online. He was a law student at To-Oh University, and the essay was about "The morality of civil law and its juxtaposition within society. It's multi-symmetric facets."

As an active member of the website _Kira Underground_, he read about the most recent murders by Kira. And like he thought, there was a lot of chat about the Kira's broadcast today. Many people voiced their concerns about Kira, and his goals. Fear and trepidation filled the forums. But things will work out fine, he thought. Now that he had Kira's power, his own confidence rose. If Kira frequented _Kira Underground_, he wanted to know.

He logged on, and started posting.

to be continued


	3. A Message to Kira

_**II - A MESSAGE TO KIRA**_

Light Yagami finished watching the imposter's broadcast on Sakura TV from his room. He knew the message from Kira was a fake. He didn't send it, nor did it authorize it. This person claiming to be Kira was sending a message to the world about Kira's intent and wanted to share in a better world, a utopia without crime and corruption. However, how he went about proving his point was despicable. Killing a TV commentator, and both a member of the Kira taskforce and two police officers was not Kira's way. In fact, all this exposure damaged Kira's credibility.

Ryuk stood next to him as he watched the broadcast, but said nothing.

"Another Shinigami comes have come to the human world, and that Shinigami has granted this other Kira the Shinigami eyes. All he needs is a face to kill. His power surpasses even mine. But that doesn't make him smarter.

However, he was apt enough not to kill criminals Kira already subjugated to die. Kira killed real, hardcore criminals, not tabloid wannabees. This gave Light a clue to the imposter's identity, but it mere supposition at this point.

L needed Light's help in this case, and it was a golden opportunity to get close. And with this other Kira on the loose, L will also come to the same conclusion, and beg him to join the taskforce. L still suspected him, but Light wasn't worried. He had no evidence, and that was the best thing about killing with the Death Note. Despite all the victims had died of heart attacks, and a theory that one person was murdering them by supernatural means, there was absolutely nothing that could connect him to the crimes. L could theorize all he wanted. Kira was untouchable.

The next day, he was invited to the hotel used by the Kira taskforce. Under the watcheye of L, he was told of the tapes sent to Sakura TV. But he already knew about them. He had watched the original broadcast.

Forced to watch them again, he felt nauseous. They were so amateurish. Thoughts of the identity of this imposter coursed through his mind, but he thought it best not to say anything. L would most probably ask his opinion, but he didn't want to say anything revealing or it might give himself away.

"So what do you think?" L said.

_Damn, it's a test._

He told L what he thought, but kept it to a bare minimal. His father seemed the most impressed to see him offer an opinion of a second Kira theory. L confirmed it. Apparently they had already reasoned out about this not being the real Kira. He knew if he had the same theory that would bring him one step closer to being resolved of suspicion of being Kira. But knowing L, that seemed hardly unlikely.

L decided a response was needed. "Light, I would like to play the part of our Kira. And I need you to script something for us to respond to this Second Kira. Do you think you can do that?"

Ryuk laughed, as Light withheld a sneer. Yet another test, he reasoned. L obviously had planned this all along. Drawing him here under false pretenses only the play the part of Kira to write a response to the other. Staring at him, he wasn't going to give L the satisfaction of his contempt, and agreed.

For the next couple of hours he scripted a response. He knew exactly what he wanted to say and had no problems in wording it.

After he was finished, he called L. L read it over as Light sat in a lounge chair. "Looks good, Light. But if we don't remove the part where the Second Kira if free to kill me, I'll end up dead."

Light laughed. "That's fine. I just worded it the way if I were Kira, but you change what you want."

"Other than, it looks good. Aizawa will do the narration to tape, and we'll add a Kira graphic. Then we'll send it to Sakura TV and wait for a response."

But despite the changes, Light hoped the second Kira would read between the lines and murder L anyway - that was his wish. In fact, it was his ultimate goal at the moment. With L dead, he could move forward with his plans for a better world. If only this other Kira hadn't emerged. Things were going fine alone. There had to be a reason for another Shinigami arriving in the human world. And he intended to learn this truth at all costs.

With his job done, he left the hotel and walked home alone. Or alone enough with a Shinigami close behind. "Things seem to be getting out of hand," Ryuk commented, and then snickered. They traveled down a lighted sidewalk next to a main street. Drivers coursed by unaware of the god of death.

"There's nothing to be concerned about," Light said. "As long as this second Kira doesn't do anything stupid, L will never know about the Death Note. But I must find this second Kira first so I can tell him to stop this needless killing." He stopped for a moment and looked at Ryuk. "Tell me something, Ryuk, does anyone else know that you're here? Why would another Shinigami visit? You said the Shinigami Realm is a boring place. Are all you Shinigami _that_ bored?"

Ryuk shrugged. "Who knows. I'm just as curious as you are. In fact, it's actually quite exciting to know another Shinigami is here. I could have dropped my Death Note in any number of a thousand realms. It just happened to land in the human world, and you just happened to pick it up. All coincidence really."

Light started walking again and faced forward, his brow folded thoughtfully. Ryuk followed. "Yes, you've already said that. But a coincidence never happens twice. Is there anyway you can locate this other Shinigami, so I can met the other Kira?"

"Do you want to meet him, or kill him?"

"If he has the Shinigami eyes, if necessary, both. He's dangerous. There's no way to know he won't turn on me. I must determine his true intentions. Whether he's truly sympathetic to my cause or he wants to eliminate me and become Kira himself. Once I've determined that, hen take a direct a course of action from there. But right now, he has the advantage. I need to tread carefully. I'm being attacked on two fronts: from L, and this imposter. Hopefully after I get a reply to my message, I'll know the truth."

"So are you still going to kill criminals?"

"Of course. I won't let this charlatan dictate how I will do things. I'll continue to punish criminals as I see fit. L still suspects me. Let him. I'm not worried. Perhaps this other Kira will even put pressure on L to split his attention. The taskforce is already spread too thin, and the ICPO isn't doing much to help L. Two against one are better odds. However, I won't share the world. There can only be one god of the new world, and that will be me."

After thirty minutes, Light returned home, and after giving his mother and sister a friendly greeting, he went straight up to his room and locked the door. He dropped on his bed and lay back with his hands behind his head. Looking at the ceiling, he thought about what his next step in his overall plans would be. However, until the second Kira responded to his message, all he could do was wait.

Ryuk entered his field of view, smiling, and Light looked at him. His jauntus, opened eyes, and large, crooked mouth gave him more of a clown like appearance than a god of death. But there was still a sinister way about him. He may have been bored when he dropped the Death Note, but you don't become a Shinigami being dumb. Or that was his theory. Attached to Ryuk's belt was another Death Note. The one Ryuk dropped was a duplicate.

"You wanna play some video games?" Ryuk said. Light didn't respond. He continued to stare at the Shinigami, thinking. "Come on, just because you're in university now doesn't make you too old to enjoy a little fun. All work and no play makes Light a bored human. It's been a while. I like R.P.G. games. . ."

"Enough, Ryuk. I have more important things to think about than playing games." He sat up and went to his desk, and sat down. He took out the Death Note from the hidden compartment in his upper drawer, and opened it. Then he turned on his computer. With all the surveillance equipment and wiretaps L had planted removed from the house, he could continue to judge criminals from the sanctity of his bedroom. "It's late, and I haven't killed any criminals today. I went straight from school to the hotel, L kept me there most of the night."

Surfing the internet, he went to the website known as _Kira Underground_. This had the most up-to-date information on Kira. Well, speculative information. From the bustling activity on the forums, people were talking about the second Kira, and the broadcast. And what people were saying was not flattering.

This imposter had tarnished Kira's reputation by those senseless killings forecast on the tapes sent to Sakura TV, and Light wasn't going to allow him to get away with it. Once found, he'll make the second Kira pay for his audacity and ruination. In the meantime, however, he had to continue his work and kill more criminals, and play around with L some more. Soon the public's fears would be put to rest. Support for Kira was going. He knew that there would be opposition, but that came with the territory. People are always frightened of change.

He went to a thread where people had posted names and pictures of active criminals and explanations on why they should be killed. Most were hardened criminals, but some were jokes and pranks, or angry kids who were angry with their parents or other people, and wanted them dead. He only responded to serious requests: only criminals he saw on the news and profiled by police.

No doubt the police were monitoring the site, including L - Watari was a very capable assistant - but despite L's coy ways in attempting to track him, it all came down to simple curiosity. _Kira Underground_ was the hottest Kira website on the net. He would be foolish not to use it to its utmost advantage.

He spent an hour writing down criminal names in the Death Note and then took a break. He was cleansing the world one criminal at a time but it was taking its toil. He put his pen down and flexed his hand, writer's cramp had set in, and as he leaned back in his chair and recuperated, he took a sip of tea he had gotten from downstairs.

Ryuk lay on his bed eating an apple.

"This is boring," the Shinigami said.

"Well, unless you're willing to scour the city and locate the second Kira for me, there's not much you can do," Light said.

"Every day you write names, don't you get bored of doing the same thing day after day?"

Light took another sip of tea, then said, "Never. I'm serious in creating a new world, and doing so takes sacrifice and time. You merely write down a person's name, kill them, and then take their remaining years and add them to your own. Now that's boring. I'm building a new world populated by just, hard working people. Soon everyone will see the brilliance of what I'm doing."

"You know what, I've seen games like this. People play God and build a world."

"You mean SIMS, where you create a world according to your own design. Yes, I see the irony. But this isn't a game, this is real life." Light felt Ryuk's stare and turned. Ryuk was looking just above his head. "What is it?"

"Your lifespan as changed, the numbers are different."

Light wasn't sure if he should be concerned or not. "So what does it mean?"

Ryuk looked at Light directly and smiled. "Nothing to worry about. People's lifespan numbers change all the time. But even we Shinigami don't know why. However, when that does happen, it usually means something has happened to the time-space continuum, but it's always changing. Nothing to worry about, I think. Perhaps this other Shinigami has something to do with it. There's a theory in the Shinigami Realm. When you take a life, you alter than person's destiny. Then other people are affected. The universe reorders itself and continues. You've killed a lot of people and changed many destinies. Perhaps this is why your lifespan numbers have changed since last I looked at them. You might have killed someone that directed affected you in someway in the future, or this second Kira might have done something that brings events into play that will somehow directly affect you."

Light turned back to his computer unconcerned. "As long as it hasn't shortened my life, I'm not worried. But, of course, you would never tell me either way, huh?" He briefly looked back at Ryuk. Ryuk merely produced a thin smile, or as thin as his big mouth would allow, and said nothing. Light returned his attention to other matters and went back to writing down more criminal names down in the Death Note.

His phone beeped with a text message. He had registered to a site that informed him about the latest information on Kira. He quit with the Death Note and opened his flip phone. The message with the text had a link to _Kira Underground_. As he was already on the site, he put down the phone, typed the link into the browser in his computer, and was instantly taken to a thread.

He read the title: _**A MESSAGE FROM L TO KIRA**__._

His heart figuratively skipped a beat. This had to be a joke. L would never be this ostentatious. True, he wanted to catch Kira, but posting a message on _Kira Underground_ was too bold even for L.

He clicked on the thread. . .

And was instantly relieved. It wasn't from L. But he also equally disappointed. It was a joke. Someone had mockingly started the thread.

001: Ha! Ha! Made you look!

People were already replying to it since he received the text message, and they all chastised its originator for starting it.

002: Idiot!

003: Loser!

004: That was not funny!

005: Kira should kill you for starting this!

006 - 020 continued the rants.

Others followed, but it was the twenty-first message that caught his eye. It was Haiku, Japanese poetry, consisting of three short stanzas. Translated, it read:

_A brisk fresh breeze. Bringer of dreams! A gift from Ida-Ten._

Out of all the replies, it was the only one that sounded intelligent. Was this a message from the second Kira, or someone playing an intelligent joke? The person had no handle, it was anonymous, but from the symbolic nature of the Haiku, the person was obviously educated. Although amateurish, it was still smartly written.

Each stanza had a significant meaning, and it was obviously meant for Kira to read. _A new beginning brings hope_, that's what it meant. And that's what Kira was doing. In using the Death Note, he was cleansing the world.

Recalling his mythology, Ida-Ten was the Buddhist god of law and religion (monasteries), and, physically, was a handsome young man. Was this a clue to the second Kira's identity?

The second Kira had his power, god-like power, and this Haiku might be an attempt to reach out. . .or it also be some enthusiastic person who likes poetry. He didn't want to assume anything. Besides, if this was the second Kira, why did he send those tapes to Sakura TV if he could have simply just posted this quietly?

"Aren't you going to respond?" Ryuk said, looking over his shoulder.

Light leaned back in the chair letting the Shinigami have a closer look at the computer screen. "Of course not, and for obvious reasons." But he didn't explain them to Ryuk. He picked up his mug and took a sip of tea. "While the Haiku is well written, justifiability, the person is merely an admirer of Kira, nothing more. If the other so-called Kira did write this, let's just see what he does next."

-

To Be Continued.


	4. History

**III - HISTORY**

Demetre was unfettered. Twenty-four hours later and still no response from Kira.

The thread he started on _Kira Underground_ had generated a lot of attention. _A MESSAGE FROM L TO KIRA_. Hundreds of people had replied to it scorning him, hoping Kira would kill him for his blasphemy. But despite the ridicule, this was exactly what he wanted. Kira was bound to see it. It was to draw his attention.

His second post, the twenty-first post, however, was a direct message to Kira. Posted anonymously, separate from the first post, he knew Kira would understand it. The Haiku was a simple attempt at a response. But he should have known Kira would not reply. The police were monitoring the site. Any direct communication and his I.P. address would probably be tracked. Nevertheless, he hoped Kira got the message, despite the dribble of replies that followed.

Sitting in Psychology class at To-Oh University, he listened as the professor lectured on the importance of the human psyche. He passed the entrance exams with a near perfect GPA average, only missing one question, and this was but one class of many he had to take in order to join the police force. His father wanted him to be a lawyer, but his interests lay elsewhere.

He finished second to one person: Light Yagami. Well, third, if he counted Hideki Ryuga - a weird looking guy with mop top black hair who recited the freshmen address with Light at this years introduction ceremonies wearing a long sleeve white shirt and jeans. Completely contrary to Light in a suit and tie. They were complete opposites. He looked like a mad genius.

Both Light and Ryuga had perfect scores. No one _ever_ got a perfect score on the entrance exams and an investigation was called. But their grades were legitimate. And rumor had it that they were called in for a private oral examination with random questions to disprove any speculation of cheating.

A prodigy, that's what people were starting to call Light Yagami. He was also an excellent tennis player.

Ryuga was too.

He was at the courts when Light and Ryuga had a match. It started out as a friendly game, but soon erupted into to a grueling match between titans, with Yagami the victor. Watching the match, it was almost like Light Yagami had something to prove. An internet search showed Yagami was the 2002-03 Junior Tennis champion in high school, but suddenly retired from the game for an unknown reason. Perhaps this was a way to prove he was still champion material.

In the same Psyche class, Light sat in the middle section of the lecture hall. Sitting next to him was the famous "Miss Todai", Kiyomi Takada, nick-named such because of her refinement and sophistication. She was Light's girlfriend. How they met was a mystery, but they seemed a perfect match for each other.

He received a text message on his phone as it vibrated in his pocket. He retrieved it and read the message: _Luv ya! _

It was from his girlfriend, Sienna.

They met in their senior year in high school and attended To-On university together. But while he wanted to be a police officer, she pursued a career in advertising. She had a knack for flare and clothes. Beautiful, smart, and sexy, she was perfect. In relation to Light and Takada, he had also found his perfect match.

When class ended, students began to file out of the lecture hall. He packed his books away in his carry case and then started down the steps to the main floor. Just as he passed the middle section he saw a cell phone on the ground under a chair. Picking it up, he flipped it open, wondering whose it was. Scrolling through the contacts, he recognized the name Kiyomi Takada. And his own. He and Light had been friends since grade school.

Then he realized this was the exact spot Light Yagami was sitting. Light must have dropped his cell and didn't notice it. Distracted by Takada, who could blame him. Takada was eye-catching.

Light had just left, maybe he could catch up to him in the hall. Looking at his watch, he knew he couldn't. He another class across campus, he didn't have the time to spare. But he didn't want to leave it here just in case someone else picked it up. The professor was gone, he had no one to give it to of trust.

He would just keep it. He wrote a note and left it on the table for Light to find when he returned. And then left.

Light. I found your phone.

I'll give it back to you later.

- Demmy

-

To Be Continued.


	5. Human & Shinigami Finally Meet

**IV - HUMAN AND SHINIGAMI FINALLY MEET**

The Shinigami flew over the city and homed in on the Death Note he had dropped, landing on the roof a two-story house within a compact rural neighbourhood. His large wings retracted back into his back and he gazed over the landscape, observing humans engaged in daily activities. The house he landed on was the owner of the Death Note he had dropped, and he was bound to it.

Entering the domicile, becoming transparent, he sunk through its exterior façade and landed on the top floor. He looked around and saw he was in a corridor. Next to him was a flight of stairs that went down to the next floor, and around him were three doors. He entered the closest door and found himself staring at an strange looking object. It was white porceline retaining water. On one side was a metal handle; he touched it, pulled it down, and it flushed; the water receding down into a hole. Then if filled back up slowly. Fascinating, he thought. An indoor water closest. Also in the room was a water basin within a cabinet. There were two taps and each deposited water into the basin when turned. From memory, he thought humans called this room the bathroom. It was where they got rid of their biological excerment. Shinigami had no need for such things, as they had no need for sustance. Shinigami were the walking dead and needed no food to exist. They existed purely by the will of the Shinigami King for his purpose alone. But he didn't ask why Shinigami still were needed, and he doubt he would get an answer.

He left the bathroom and returned to the hallway, and entered through a second door. This was where human slept, apparently. But this was not the human's room he was looking for and left. Entering the third door, he saw the human that he sought. The human had his back turned and was sitting at a desk, apparently writing something. The Shinigami went over and looked over the human's shoulder. The human was writing something on a device with an alpha-numeric keyboard, commonly referred to as a computer. Data sent electronically through the keyboard appeared on a monitor and viewed. The human was writing a message on an website called _Kira Underground_.

He knew the name Kira, it was the name of the man who tried to be a god by using the Death Note. The other Shinigami he spoke to told him about him, and he also watched the events play out in the temporal time viewer in the Shinigami Realm. But this was not that human, this human was different looking. However, this human shared similar outward features with the human known as Kira; he would even go as far even saying he was a good looking human being. But he was still growing; a teenager was the term.

Humanity was not foreign to him. All Shinigami were once human, although most have forgotten what they looked like. The rules of the Death Note say: Anyone who used a Death Note cannot go to Heaven or Hell. They go to Mu (Nothingness). But nothingness is not what it sounded like. Even nothingness has a place. And from the state of the Shinigami Realm, it was close to nothingness as nothingness can get. _I was human once, but I can't remember who I was in life. I've lived in the Shinigami Realm for what seems like an eternity, or that's what it feels like when you have no past. Perhaps that's why I find the human world so fascinating? Maybe coming here will trigger something from my past? I want to remember who I was. However, right now, my objective it clear. Retrieve my Death Note. I hope I'm not wasting my time by dropping my Death Note here._

"So, you are the human who picked up my Death Note," the Shinigami finally said.

The human sharply turned around and screamed, falling out of his chair. Then he backed into a corner. "Wha-what the hell are you?"

"Don't be afraid. I am the Shinigami, Geist. You picked up my Death Note. I came to the human world to see who now possesses it. I am attached by sacred Shinigami law to the notebook." Geist looked around, but he didn't see his Death Note. "Where is it?"

"It's in my book bag," the human said, and slowly inched to it that was next to his desk. He retrieved it, showing the Shinigami the notebook.

The Shinigami saw the human brazenly look him over. At first the human was frightened of him, but now he seemed instead fascinated by his appearance. An eight foot tall, glowing red eyes, bipedal, skeleton, wearing clothes; wearing brown pants, a button shirt, boots with frills, and a long trench coat, with a large tuff of brown hair surrounded by a red headband and pair of diamond goggles. He knew his sense of style was a bit crude and ostentaneous, but was this or nothing. Strapped to his back was a large bone club. It was a weapon.

"What are you?" the human asked.

"I told you, I am Shinigami - a god of death!"

"You look more like a reject from a rock band by the way you're dressed."

"Do not mock me, human! A Shinigami does not choose their appearance; it's granted by the Shinigami King. He decides everything that occurs in the Shinigami Realm."

"The Shinigami Realm, you mean a mirror ghost realm shadowing this one?"

"Correct human. We Shinigami have existed since the beginning of time, and we can see everything past, present and future. For instance, I can see your name and lifespan above your head. The numbers indicate how many years you have left."

"So you know when I'm going to die?"

"Yes. But we Shinigami are forbidden to tell humans your lifespan, for it may alter the lifespan of another human. However, if I decided to kill you now, the rest or your years will be added to my own. But I have no wish to kill you. I came to the human world to be entertained. I purposely dropped my Death Note here hoping a human would pick it up. How you use it is entirely up to you. How many people have you killed?"

"Only one person; and he deserved it."

"One one person… I would have thought you'd follow the same path was the other human who is killing… he too lives in Japan."

"Do you mean Kira?"

"Yes. That is the name you human's have given him. He also has a Death Note, as well as this _second_ Kira…who has recently appeared. Therefore three Shinigami, including myself, are in human world."

The human grinned. "I knew it. All those heart attacks were attributed to a common cause – the Death Note. So you dropped your Death Note hoping I'd follow the same path as Kira, huh. Well, sorry to disappoint you, Shinigami, but I have no intention of following Kira's destructive pattern of death. I have a much loftier purpose for it."

"And that is?"

"Explaining it would be boring. You said you came to the human world to be entertained. What better way of being entertained that to watch what I have planned." He opened the Death Note and read the name. "The police have already found this man's body and because the cause of the death was a heart attack, they're blaming his death on Kira." The human laughed. "I don't plan on murdering criminals like Kira. I plan on using it to seek justice and to square off against Kira. You see, Kira killed my grandfather. He was arrested and accused of being an embezzler of the company he worked for, and Kira killed him despite the circumstantial evidence against him. I'm going to make Kira pay for his crime."

"So you plan on using the Death Note to help the innocent against Kira's killings?"

"No, that's not my intention at all. My own agenda is to kill Kira for killing my grandfather, but I have other plans; grandeur plans; and the Death Note will help me execute them and to make my ideals a reality."

"You've peaked my interest, human. However, there is something you must known before your continue. Anyone who uses the Death Note can neither go to Heaven nor Hell."

"Nice of you tell me after I've used it. But I'm not concerned. I'm an atheist. I don't believe in one almighty being ruling with utmost superiority over human kind. Before I picked up the Death Note, Kira seemed as such. But now I know he's nothing more than another human, who only believes in his own agenda. Anything else?"

"A Shinigami is not obligated to tell the human who possesses a Death Note its rules and regulations. However, there is no rule against it, so saving confusion I'm going to tell you everything I know about it. The Shinigami who is attached to the Death Note the human Kira is using will not divulge what I am about to tell you. That Shinigami is a coy god of death, while I am benevolent, so to speak. But be warned, anyone who uses a Death Note will feel nothing but fear and pain. A human must have strict convictions in its usage or it will control that human instead of the human controlling it."

"So it will possess me like a ghost, and make me do horrible things."

"All it takes is a spark of evil in a human's heart for the Death Note to rule."

"Humans are inherently cruel and evil; we have been since the dawn of civilization. We cannot control our genetics, but we can control our fate. Nothing is written down in stone. If you have seen the future, then you know what happens to Kira. What if that is altered? What will that do to space and time?"

"You may have already done so. That man you killed may have altered events and changed the timeline. But I am uncertain. The timeline I saw may happen differently. But it's best not to contemplate such things. Besides, you humans cannot grasp the complexities of space and time despite your advanced technologies."

"Along with our cruelty and malice, we humans are also intelligent. What we don't know, we learn. And what seems incomprehensible, we theorize about. We are the smartest beasts on the planet."

_Smart beasts,_ the Shinigami repeated. "Very well, I'm eager to see what entertainment you can provide me. By the way, human, what is your name?"

"You can call me Demetre Draycott, or Demmy, for short."

To be continued.


	6. Kira Exposed

V - KIRA EXPOSED

That evening after dinner, Demetre returned in his room and took apart Light's phone. He cloned it. He sat at his desk with a small tool kit.

He had an extra phone that was given to him by his phone service provider with a free offer before getting his current one that he had to pay a monthly fee for. The free phone was a piece of crap, but it would do the job.

He also copied the SIM card with all Light's contacts to the clone phone. It was an exact duplicate in every way except for outer appearance.

"Why are you doing this to your friend's phone?" Geist asked. The Shinigami was looking over Demetre's shoulder.

"It's what I do, I'm curious in nature," Demetre replied. "What other opportunity am I going to have to do this? "

"But why do it at all? What point will it serve?"

"After looking through Light's phone, I found a couple of numbers of interest, and by cloning it, I can listen in to his conversions."

"You human's are unusual, curious but deceptive. It's a wonderment you have survived as long as you have."

"Perseverance, we strive to achieve," Demetre said. "And sometimes that takes dubious tactics."

"But why spy on your friend? Don't you trust him?"

"Trust is not the issue here. His father's a police detective, and in Japan at this moment, law enforcement have their hands full with Kira. If ever Light talks about Kira to his father, I can listen in and get insight information."

"The media would have more relevant news on Kira," Giest said. "The police are baffled by Kira, and now this second Kira. If your friend's father is a detective, sharing information would not be prudent. Your culture likes to keep secrets, what the police call classified information."

"Human's have an uncanny need to gossip even about information deemed classified. Light's studying to be a police detective and his father might want his son' s insight. Years ago, Light helped the NPA in a fraud case. With information Light collected from the media, he was able to determinate a pattern to the criminal's intent, and the NPA was able to set up a sting operation to catch him. Light was very influential in the case. He's quite an intelligent guy. So am I in fact. We share similar interests. That's why I think, eventually, Light's father will want his son's input in the case. And when he does, this phone will act as that medium."

"You want to be a detective, and this is dishonest," Geist said. "I thought police officers were supposed to stop this sort of criminal activity?"

Demetre smiled amused. "Sometimes even the police must stoop to being criminals to stop an escalation of criminal activity. It's just the way it works. It is dishonest, but it helps."

He put Light's phone back together. It was finished with it. Then he turned on the clone phone. As soon as he turned it on, a voicemail icon popped on the screen. Demetre opened it. It had come from Light's house number. Light probably tried to call his cell phone. As Demetre didn't know the voice box number, he couldn't listen to the message. But it didn't matter. It said HOME. The cloning had been successful.

Demetre grabbed a light jacket from the back of his chair and left his room. The Shinigami followed him. He told his parents he was going out, and left.

As he walked through the narrow streets of the housing complex where Light lived, it was only a twenty minute walk, Geist followed close behind him. The Shinigami preferred to walk instead of fly. Geist had wings, but they were concealed within his body.

It felt odd having a Shinigami - a god of death - follow him, but as long as he was the owner of Geist's Death Note, they were bonded. Shinigami Sacred law demanded it. Geist had explained everything about the Death Note, and now Demetre understood Kira's powers.

They were supernatural in origin and without equal. Only to another Death Note, however. And the Death Note was transferable. So if the current owner of a Death Note died and another human picked it up, then that Death Note could be owned by another. And so on a so forth.

It was exciting to think about. The power of a Shinigami in the palm of his hand, to do with as he pleased. It was tempting to kill, but Kira was already under enough fire by the media and other Anti-Kira groups. It was best not to add to an already explosive situation. And with the addition of this second Kira, things were about to become even more dicey.

Kira vs. Kira.

The fate of the world rested in each of their hands. Which one would come out victorious? Which one would die at the hands of the other? Or would they join forces and become even stronger?

Exciting, he thought.

Then there was L. No one knew who he was. He just appeared out of the blue one day to confront Kira on national TV. He was mysterious, but he was also very dangerous. There was nothing worse than an intelligent foe. Kira may have the power to kill by supernatural means, but L had the entire world's police at his disposal to combat him. And the world was not big enough to hid in anymore. Kira's identity would be revealed soon enough. There are always clues to follow, patterns to map. A serial killer like Kira has a distinct personality. One slip could cost Kira everything.

* * *

Arriving at Light's house Demetre knocked on the door, but Geist stayed back in the shadows. Even though no one could see him, he wanted to keep his distance, for a reason he didn't explain.

The Shinigami felt uneasy. There was something eerie about this human's house. He sensed a presence both familiar and yet foreign. His sixth sense told him that another Shinigami was near by with a Death Note. However, he could not establish an exact fix.

The door opened and a smaller human appeared at the threshold. This human was female and stood several feet shorter than Demetre Draycott.

Sayu Yagami smiled with a familiar friendliness when she saw Demetre. Geist knew this human. Demetre told him about he and about Light Yagami. "Demmy, long time no see. How have you been?" she said.

Demetre smiled back. "I've been okay. University is a pain."

"Light's said the same thing, but everything comes to easy to him. My big brother is genius. He gets bored a lot."

"Me too," Demetre replied. "Is Light home? I have his cell phone. He left it at school today. I left him a message saying I had it."

"Yeah, he told us about it, and was relieved you found it," Sayu said. "He's glad he has a friend like you. He'll be happy to get it back." She stepped back and turned towards the staircase that lead upstairs. "Oh Light…Demmy's here!" She shouted with a mocking tone.

"Sayu, don't shout like that," her mother said. Sachiko Yagami came to the door. She smiled at Demetre. She then turned to Sayu, and said, "If you want to tell your brother something, then go up and tell him personally. The neighbors can hear you shouting."

"Sorry, Mom."

The sound of a door opened and then footfalls came down the stairs. Light smiled when he saw Demetre. Demetre smile back, holding Light's phone in his hand. Demetre handed it to Light when he came to the door. Sayu and Light's mother stepped back. "I thought you'd want this back, Light" Demetre said. "It's not like you to be so careless."

Light smirked. Demetre's tone of voice was lighthearted. "Sometimes love makes you blind to certain realities like cell phone care."

"Takada is a catch. I'm glad you found someone. You were always a loner in grade school, and even in high school you studied all the time."

"I want to be police officer like my father, I had to."

"You're not going to settle with just catching criminals are you?"

Light Yagami seemed oddly taken aback by the question, and his brow folded with confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, with your intelligence you can do anything, be anyone."

"I want to be a detective. It's what I've always wanted to do."

Demetre smiled. "Your loss I suppose."

Light's head shook lightly and he smiled. "You've always been a good friend, Demmy. You've always told me the truth."

"I've had to. You kept on denying it."

Geist finally identified the eeriness he had been feeling and came out of the shadows. He walked over and leaned to Demetre, and said, "A Shinigami resides at this address. I can't see him, but I can sense his presence. Your friend possesses a Death Note."

Demetre's eyes widened with shock.

At that moment he wished he had made the Shinigami eye deal to confirm what Geist had just revealed to him. If he couldn't see Light's lifespan, it would prove Light owned a Death Note. A lifespan cannot be seen by another human who has a Death Note.

But which Kira was Light - the original, or the second Kira?

Geist explained before, a Shinigami would not expose another Shinigami or an owner of the Death Note to another, but Geist was different than the rest. He was rogue Shinigami, willing to break the rules for entertainment.

"Is something wrong, Demmy?" Light asked.

Demetre smiled thinly. "No Light, everything's just fine." _Which one are you, eh Light?_ Demetre thought. _I know your secret now, but you don't know mine._

"Then please, come in. Have some tea. We're taking the same classes at To-Oh University. I know you want to be a police officer. We can share notes."

Demetre put a hand up. "No, but thank you. I have some things to do. I only came by to return your phone. Take better care of it. I'll see you later." Demetre faked a smile and then started to walk away.

"Later," he heard Light say, and the door closed.

Out of sight, Demetre's face became dark. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper from the Death Note. He left the book at home. Geist explained that even a piece was as useful as the full book.

With a pen, he started to write down a name in large, capital letters, but then stopped short of finishing it.

**LIGHT YAGA**

"Aren't you going to finish writing his name?" said Geist, looking at the paper.

Demetre crumpled the piece of paper in his hand and let his arm fall at his side. "I'm being impetuous. There's no evidence Light is Kira."

"He could be this second Kira. Either way, he's a threat. Kill him."

Demetre eyed Geist. "Is he Kira, or the second Kira?"

"I can't answer that. I don't know. The only thing I know is he possesses a Death Note, and a Shinigami is here at his house."

"Kira - the first Kira - killed my grandfather. My grandfather suffered a massive heart attack while in jail. He was charged with embellishing funds from the company he worked for, but the evidence was circumstantial. He was later cleared, but only after his death.

"Kira ignores civil liberties. I don't see Light doing that. He's always had a overwhelming sense of justice. Even when we were kids playing board games he was always fair. He never cheated. He didn't have to. Light has strong morals."

"But what if Light Yagami is Kira, then what will you do?"

"If, and only if, I find out Light is the true Kira, then not even a god of death will be able to protect him from me, and a fate worse than death. I will have my revenge."

TBC


	7. Revelations of Light

_**The Draycott Factor - Chapter Six**_

* * *

Light returned to his room and shut the door, locking it behind him as he often did. Ever since he acquired the Death Note, unauthorized access, as he called it, into his room was an unwarranted worry he rather do without.

The Death Note was safely stored in a hidden compartment in his desk. But he would rather feel in control of certain elements than have them dotted upon by curious eyes. Like L, who choose to violate his room and implant dozens of tiny cameras and listening devices in every cervices weeks before.

Light gave a brief glance at his phone, then placed it in its recharger on his desk. The battery was nearly dead. He remembered charging it the night before he left for school, and he was curious why it only read one bar left. But he decided Demetre hadn't turned it off and it drained down on its own.

Demetre Draycott or Demmy, an abbreviated nickname, was a good friend, Light thought. If anyone else had picked up his phone, they most likely would have wiped all the data, photos and contacts and used it as their own. Light would have had to go through the trouble of canceling his contract with his phone provider and get a new phone. It was a bother he was thankful he didn't have to be concerned about now.

Demetre had been sitting in Light's political science class a few rows up. The day's lecture was uninteresting and Light occasionally made notes, but Light spent most of the two hours quietly conversing with Kiyomi Takada, his girlfriend, discussing plans for the weekend, and must have forgotten about his phone at some point when leaving.

The Death Note took priority when it came to changing the world. But Takada had started to earn more of his attention. She was beautiful, smart, and funny. She was everything Light could ever want in a mate. And she shared his political views. But it was a shame he couldn't share the Death Note with her. What a queen she would make when he started to reign over his new world!

But he couldn't trust anyone with knowledge of the Death Note's existence. Takada included. Or even Demetre Draycott, his best friend since childhood. If anyone knew Light was Kira, the so-called serial killer who was supernaturally wiping out all the criminals to create a world of justice, Light would be put to death.

But even L had nothing on him. And Light was able to outsmart the genius detective time and time again despite help from the Kira taskforce. Fooling the taskforce was like playing chess, and a true master of the game thought a dozen moves ahead and realized all potential moves his opponent or opponents would make. L took a little more effort to trick, but not even the great L was infallible!

Light sat down in his desk chair, and then turned to Ryuk who was hovering gingerly above his bed eating a red apple.

Where did that apple go within the Shinigami's stomach, Light wondered moderately. A god of death didn't need food. And yet Ryuk took pleasure in devouring apples. Symbolically, the apple is an antiquated sign of power throughout history. Nutritionally, it provides a sugars to the human body to maintain health. A god of death needed neither.

The Shinigami had a big mouth, grotesque even, share that with his demonic appearance, Ryuk mirrored an evil clown. But despite it, The god of death could be trusted to keep Light's secret. Ryuk had explained the Death Note inscribed loyalty to its handler and the Shinigami was Light's to command. Respectfully so.

Light had been warily about Ryuk's intentions initially when the Death Note fell into Light's possession all those months ago. The book had fallen mysteriously from the sky and dropped onto the school grounds of his high school. In it was only pure chance no one else had picked it up before Light did as it lay in an open area.

Weeks past, and Light was visited by a god of death on a stormy night. The whole thing seemed so cliché to Light at the time. And the idea that a simple looking notebook like this could be used to kill a person just by writing their name down was equally laughable.

But it real. And after he killed his first two people. He knew he had a god-like power. He wondered why he was chosen, why he was given this unbelievable gift. But he knew whoever sent it down, they would eventually come to retrieve it. . .

"_You came to take my soul, right?" _Light had said this on the first night he met Ryuk. Light remembered feeling a little trepidation when he looked upon the Shinigami. People had written movies where demons gave humans unfathomable powers for a price. And it was always the same thing. But he also remembered feeling proud that he had eliminated so many of the world's criminals in so few days. No one would know who he was, but Light remembered thinking to himself that he had done humanity a great service.

The demonic looking Shinigami looked dumbfounded. _"What do you mean? Is that some silly fantasy you humans have? I'm not going to do anything to you."_

Light clutched the Death Note in his hands. He remembered feeling both confused and relieved. _"You mean this. . .is mine? I can use it and I won't be punished?"_

Ryuk pointed a boney finger at Light, a creepy smile crossed the Shinigami's face. _"Let's just say, you will feel the pain and fear of using it. And when it's time for you to die, it will fall upon me to write you name in my Death Note."_

Fear had ran through Light's mind after Ryuk's words. But Light accepted the bargain. If not, Ryuk would have had to erase Light's memory of the Death Note. And Light didn't want that. He wanted to continue to purify the world of criminals. He wanted to be a cop like his father, but he knew he could benefit the world more by this method.

But Light knew the day of his death was a long way off. He had no intention of dying anytime soon by natural, supernatural or any other means. Kira had a long life to live ahead of him and a whole world was about change for the better!

But there was still the matter of L. And now this impostor that L was referring to as a second Kira. The charlatan impersonating Kira chose to reign down unnecessary judgment upon Kira's kingdom, killing innocent people unjustly because they spoke against Kira's judgments. This was not Kira's way, Light decided.

Light needed to learn the identity of this other Kira before he was exposed or captured and the existence of the Death Note was discovered. But all Light had to go on was the videos the imposter was sending to that television station. He had to think of way to get to this person before L did. Light thought about using the internet to send a cryptic message, like that Kira fan did with the haiku. But if this imposter was so stupid to kill people and advertise it on local television, Light couldn't risk unsecured contact.

Light frowned and his forehead creased with thought. He turned his head after from Ryuk and focused his eyes on a blanch part of his room. On the wall was his framed high school diploma. And beneath it, a second one framed in being his class Valedictorian. But they meant nothing to him. Just paper. Knowledge was what mattered.

His mind filled with inspiration in how to use the Death Note further to eliminate L, learn the identity of the Second Kira, and then kill them both. But then he counter those ideas and dismissed them. Whatever he could think of, he assumed L thought of it too.

Light heard the Shinigami groan displeasingly. "Earth to Light Yagami! What's wrong? I thought you would be happy to get your phone back?"

Light's eyes narrowed unpleasantly at the Shinigami. But his annoyance wasn't directly at Ryuk's question. Light was annoyed in general.

"I am glad I have my phone returned," Light said. "What I'm displeased about is this second Kira." Light grumbled under his breath. He momentarily replayed imposter's videos in his mind, but nothing revealed anything about his identity.

Ryuk chuckled, swallowing the reminder of the apple.

"What's so funny?"

Ryuk shook his head, took another apple from a bowl at the stand next to Light's bed, threw it into the air and gulped it down whole. "Nothing," the Shinigami said simply. "So, are you going to tell me about your friend?"

"Demetre? Nothing to tell."

Ryuk chuckled again. "Childhood friend. . ." he said. "Your earlier diary entries of him feature him in a favorable light."

Light gritted his teeth. He yanked open the top drawer of his desk and took out his dairy. He hadn't been writing in it lately. In fact, ever since he acquired the Death Note, he hadn't written in it at all. "How dare you read my dairy, Ryuk! These are personal thoughts! When have you been reading it?"

"At night, while you sleep. A god of death has to do something to pass the time. Our sleep patterns are different than humans. The majority of your entries were bland. But you think highly of Demetre Draycott from what I've read."

"Yes. He's not only a good friend, but he also saved my life, so to speak."

"I read about that. You nearly drowned. That undertow nearly pulled you down stream. If it wasn't for Demetre, you'd be dead. You owe him a life debt."

"I've already thanked him."

"You humans these days are so ungrateful."

"I say I thanked him!"

"So, did you read my whole diary, or just parts of it?" asked Light.

Ryuk smirked. "I'm savoring the read. But there were some juicy entries. Particularly about an old flame. Now, what was her name. Dana. She broke your heart. Poor Light." The Shinigami chuckled.

"Shut up! Her name is not to be spoken out loud in my presence! Is that clear, Ryuk!"

Ryuk smirked. "Whatever you say. . ._Shining Light_."

Light threw his diary at Ryuk. But the god of death turned translucent and the book passed straight through him and whacked into the wall behind. "I can't be hurt, Light. Remember that?"

Light quickly calmed himself. "Yes, I remember. Shining Light was an affectionate nickname she called me. But I do not want to hear her name again. Is that clear, Ryuk?"

"Sure. And what of Demetre Draycott?"

"What about him?" Light picked up his diary and returned to his desk drawer, closing it. As he did so, he recalled Ryuk's earlier laughter.

There had been something ominous about it that gave Light recall. The Shinigami laughed similar when Naomi Misora, Raye Penber's fiancée, gave Light a false name. Naomi had worked with L. She was a former FBI agent in the United States of America. Using her skills, she figured out Kira was using his powers to manipulate criminals before killing them. If she had told L this, Light Yagami would once again be under major surveillance. But Light had killed her, by using the very same means she had figured out. He wondered where Naomi ended up after committing suicide, which is what Light wrote down in the Death Note. He hoped he never figured out.

But he let Ryuk's self-amusement pass, filing it away in his mind for later.

Light sat back down and crossed one leg over the other. Recuperating from his prior moodiness, he broached a smile. "Tell me more about the Shinigami world, Ryuk," he asked, changing the subject. "Despite its barren landscape and jaded inhabitants, there has to be more to it than what you've told me. Something that makes it special. Something that I can use to my advantage."

"What about the second Kira? Aren't you more interested in learning this person's identity?"

"That can wait for the time being." Light stared momentarily at Ryuk as the Shinigami finished his apple. "I want to know more. I want to know everything about your world."

Ryuk twitched his head slightly. "Well, it's a wasteland of bones and dust. How can I describe it any better?"

"How many Shinigami are there?"

"Hundreds. Perhaps thousands. More than I can keep track of, in fact. And they all have different personalities. Most are docile, but a few are very aggressive in their duties. These Shinigami like to kill, murder, and create mayhem, much like your ancient history gods of lore. Others just like to observe, killing occasionally because they don't want to die. There are Scribes, Messengers, Guardians, and more. And, of course, the Old Man, the Shinigami King. Also, every Shinigami has quotas."

"Quotas? But the Shinigami kill merely to preserve their own existence, you said."

"That's only part of it. There is another reason we Shinigami exist."

"And that is?" Light asked bluntly.

Ryuk floated down to Light's bed, sitting cross-legged, and only what could look like a frown crossed the Shinigami's clown-like face. "That's privileged information and has nothing to do with our bond."

Light narrowed his gaze. "You have nothing to fear from me. It's not like I can visit your realm and steal your secrets."

For the first time, Ryuk looked annoyed. "I can't tell you that. And you don't need to know. Deal with your own affairs!"

Light shuddered slightly at the sound of Ryuk's incensed voice. He straightened in his chair and swallowed. He had never been fearful of the Shinigami's presence before. But by the way Ryuk sounded, it was obviously a warning for Light to drop the subject.

So he did. "Very well," Light said, shrugging. "I'll heed to the question. But I would like to learn more about your world and its culture. To think, a realm adjacent to my own, one vastly superior, to a certain extent, that only a privileged few know of!" Then he smiled. "I am truly a god among men!"

* * *

_to be continued..._


	8. Contemplation

The Draycott FactorChapter Seven

* * *

Demetre Draycott contemplated recent events.

He walked down the street with Geist after dropping off Light Yagami's phone that he found at To-Ho university. Light had accidentally left it in one of his political science lecture.

Demetre sneered, feeling betrayed by his best friend. If Light was indeed Kira - and once Demetre confirmed it - Light's life was forfeited to the Death Note! This he vowed. He would have revenge for Kira murdering his grandfather like a coward!

Foolishly in love with Kioymi Takada, his relationship was blinding Light to basic simple things. And Demetre would play to Light's weakness. And Demetre knew very well how love could blind a person, for which he himself had experience.

But he had just learned an important fact that not focused his mind. Light Yagami, his best friend, had a Death Note. And according to Geist, Demetre's own god of death, the Shinigami posed the idea that Light Yagami could have been the very first "Kira" to appear. However, the Second Kira could've had a Death Note first and killed when the feeling suited him, Demetre also thought. It was a puzzle that he had to think through the facts - wrestling with the question of which one of the Kira's killed his grandfather.

His grandfather was a man who committed a rather small crime of embezzling money from his employer, for which was later determined was rightfully his because his employer was stealing from his employers pensions. Demetre's grandfather was only taking back what was rightfully his. And Kira killed him for it without knowing the facts, without letting it go to trail. The facts were later know after a police investigation.

If only he could get a look at Light's Death Note. Only then could Demetre really know the truth. And if it did turn out that Light killed Demetre's grandfather, hell would reign down upon Light Yagami - and there would be full fury of revenge! Then there would only be the remaining task of learning the identity of the second Kira and killing him too.

Demetre needed to vent. But he vowed he would not kill like Kira. He would use his Death Note for a noble purpose than simple, child-minded justice. But his mind was filled with blind rage at the moment.

"Penny for your thoughts, Demetre?" Geist asked. "As the human saying goes."

Demetre stopped in mid-stride walking, looked up at the skeleton, rock star looking Shinigami, hovering with out-stretched, black wings. No one could see Geist but Demetre.

Demetre took a deep breath. "This changes things. Light was my best friend, but now he's my enemy regardless if he's the original Kira or not!"

"He's only an enemy if you chose that path. He could be an ally."

"What do you mean?" Demetre's narrowed inquisitively.

"Information," Geist said, with the hint of a smile. "You want to know who of the two Kira's murdered your grandfather, right? Light, or this second Kira. Bide your time, gather information. You might find out a hidden truth."

Demetre nodded thoughtfully. "Insightful. I agree, for the time being." He opened his book bag that hung across his chest, took out the Death Note and looked at the almost finished name he wrote down. Light Yagami was two letters away from dying from an unexplained heart attack. "Nothing will be the same between us - Light and I."

"Correction. You and Light."

Demetre narrowed his eyes with slight confusion. "Yes, that's what I said."

"You humans have the uncanny fault of letting your emotions dictate your actions. Light Yagami doesn't know you have a Death Note or have a Shinigami ally. Unless his Shinigami tells him. But I highly doubt that."

"You told me Light aligned himself with a Shinigami. What's to stop his Shinigami from telling Light about me?"

"Because it's Ryuk. And he enjoys amusement. And what he knows and Light Yagami doesn't will amuse him even more."

"Let's hope you're right. But I must make assurances Light doesn't kill me unexpectedly before I learn the truth of my grandfather's death." He reached into a bag for a pen, and then flipped to the back page of the Death Note and started writing.

"How do you intend to do that?" Geist asked, tilting his head slightly reading what Demetre was writing in the Death Note. "Ah, interesting! I was right about you, you're a very clever human indeed. I would never have thought of that."

"Sometimes, Geist," Demetre smiled. "It's not the fittest that survive. It's the smartest."

* * *

L mused quietly on the couch in the hotel room of the "defacto hq" he had designated for the Kira taskforce. Every couple of days the team had moved to another hotel for safety reasons, but they had only been at this particular hotel for one day, to L, it was one of the better choices of all Watari had chosen.

With all expenses taken care of by other sources of finance, L insisted on each hotel being as comfortable as possible to accommodate his own personal needs, and of course, that of the taskforce. Certain elements had to be met for a hotel room to be suitable, and Watari knew them.

L's mind wandered. His thoughts washed in and out of case files about the Kira killings. And now with the appearance of a second Kira, he began to feel overwhelmed by what he had gotten himself into. When he first took the case, logic and deduction was paramount in solving the Kira case. Now, there seemed to be a supernatural element that logic and simple deduction could not attest to. It was almost if there was a higher power playing every one like pawns in a show that brought this mastermind amusement. He was pulling strings, making certain people dance that boggled the natural order of things.

L didn't like this new Kira. This Kira had a different M.O. that was unpredictable! This "second" Kira was killing people who spoke against the original Kira's method of justice. If anyone disagreed, a public execution by heart attack was given for punishment. It was like this Kira was saying, "Disagree with Kira and you die!" And this made L nervous. How could he fight against a seemingly supernatural foe?

L had told the task force to go home for the night. And in the dark, L said hutched over in a squat gazing methodically into the darkness biting a finger nail. He didn't sleep much and the bags under his eyes showed that to be painfully obvious. How could he sleep when there was a sociopath murdering victims by an unknown method?

But L had to admit that crime was down 70% around the world since Kira started his reign of terror ruled by fear and intimidation. Yet the minute he turned on members of law enforcement, killing Ray Penber and those twelve FBI agents just because they were getting too close to him, L vowed Kira would pay! And if L lost a little sleep over the investigation, it was worth it.

If Light Yagami wasn't Kira despite all the evidence pointed at him, who was it then? And how did Kira kill? Light Yagami was a very intelligent person, but not even he could orchestrate a mass series of assassinations alone. That would be impossible! Someone else had to be either using Light towards their own gains or Light made a deal with the devil to get a supernatural power. But that sounded ridiculous!

L was at a loss. Going through all the recorded data and hardcopy files he had, he still could not determine anything to move the case forward. Even video surveillance of Light Yagami's room proved fruitless. "The Yagami household seems too perfect," he had said after reviewing the tapes the first time, and he wanted to keep the cameras in the home. But he had made a deal with Light's father to remove them after a certain time if nothing yearned evidence of Light's supplicated guilt.

He couldn't think straight, nothing had clarity at the moment; everything was a jumbled mess of pieces that not even the great L could fit properly together.

"I must be very tired," he finally admitted. But he couldn't go to sleep because his insomnia refused to settle his mind for REM (rapid eye movement) to happen.

Moving over to his lap top computer that was on a table in the corner of the room, he crouched once again into the padded chair and switched on his email. Some of the children of Wammy's House had emailed him good wishes. Watari had forward them via an encrypted email address. With internet hackers these days, no email address was truly safe. But with systems and protocols implemented, Watari was close enough to the ultimate firewall to protect L's personal files and systems.

News traveled fast back to Wammy's House, an orphanage for gifted youngsters located in Winchester, England, about the Kira case L was working on, and several of the children showed interest in helping L providing suggestions. L thought that was cute. All kids are inquisitive and offered ideas, but none of them actually helped L; they were from the mind of children with child-like ideas that lacked logic and sound reasoning, blurted out without factual information. But he responded to each email with a thank you regardless and explained why their suggestion wouldn't work.

But, there was one boy who L thought might have a mind like his own. The boy proved he was very intelligent. The only thing he lacked was emotions, which L thought took away from the way a detective should think about a case. There were two ways for a detective to think: logically and abstract. Nate Rivers did think outside the box - but it was nothing L had not already thought about and dismissed. Nate Rivers looked to be L's successor after a few more years. But there was also another boy Mihael Keehl, who was the polar opposite of Nate. Mihael was emotionally unstable which would prove costly if he had the role of L. Both were frontline runners to fall into the role of L when it was time. But they still needed a lot more seasoning before a choice could be made. And most of all, they needed to get along. Watari had reported several times of emotional outbursts by Mihael with Nate's lack of interest in anything other that puzzles. But L hoped one day they would put their differences aside and work together for a greater cause; they would be a formidable duo. L could only wait and see in years to come.

After reading through the emails and responding to each, L learned it was dawn. Blinking his eyes to wash away the dottiness from his pupils in looking at a computer screen for so many hours, he looked at the digital clock on a wall. The taskforce would soon be arriving to start another day of investigation. He wondered if the members had any ideas over night that could prove worthwhile to further the case. Inspiration and imagination helped when logic and deduction failed, L knew.

L pressed a button on the laptop and it gave him an immediate pop-up window of Watari, who obviously had awoken early. The old man was a pleasant sight to see after so much time alone, L thought. He loved Watari. He was so much like a father to L, that L never wanted to know who his real father was. His real parents left one day, and Watari, who had just happened to know L's father, took L to Wammy's House, owned by Watari, to live. And it was there that L grew to become the person he is today, developing his special skills as a crack ace investigator. All thanks to Watari!

L smiled. "Good morning, Watari. How did you sleep?"

"Better than you, I can see," Watari replied.

"I don't sleep well these days, I'm afraid." L sighed. "Watari, please send me the special files. You know the ones. . .I wish to look over a few things before the taskforce arrives this morning."

"Of course." The old man seemed to fiddle with the computer keyboard in front of him off screen. L received them in fast order. "Are you going to share them with the group?"

"No, this it just something I've been thinking about and I want to review for my sake."

"Very good."

"Thank you," L said.

"You're welcome!" Watari replied.

* * *

To be continued…


	9. Demetre's Cloak & Dagger

_**The Draycott Factor - **__**Chapter Eight**_

* * *

Demetre Draycott kept a watchful eye on Light Yagami.

He sat at a small table in an outside patio of a small café. Next to him, was a horizontal shrub that lined the café's iron fence property line, and here he followed Light Yagami's movements with a pair of binoculars, as Light strolled down across the street with a couple of people from school. Some of which just happened to be students in Light's political science class. But there was one older, but young looking man, whom Demetre didn't know.

With Geist's help, there wasn't anywhere Light couldn't go without the Shinigami knowing about it. In retrospect, it was odd that Geist seemed to know where Light would be with very little research as if he had some hidden insight. But with the Future Orbs Geist had introduced Demetre too over the past month and all the other many wondrous things related to the Shinigami Realm, it didn't surprise Demetre of Geist's knowledge.

"Very good. Light's right where you'd say he'd be today." Demetre spoke quietly to the Shinigami that stood beside him. Demetre sat in a secluded part of the patio away from anyone who could hear them converse. "And once again, thank you for that miniature Future Orb you gave me. Now I'll know exactly where Light is at any given time."

"But like I said to you," Geist began. "Do not gaze too far into the future. What you may learn could be disturbing."

"I understand. Although, who wouldn't like to know their own fate? You know what transpires, correct?"

"In what relation? You? My presence here and you possessing a Death Note has already started to make changes in the future I cam back to," Geist said. "Light Yagami doesn't know you have a Death Note. Ryuk knows we - you and I - are bonded. But he will not tell. This past month we have conversed. And he has assured me, he will keep your secret, as long as it's in his best interest."

"I completely understand. I'd do the same thing if I was in his position. Now, what do you suppose Light is up to?"

"I suspect he's on the hunt for the second Kira. Or that's what I gathered from the diary pages I saw at L's hotel when I visited it. It said many things, but two things stood out - this location and another. However, as Rem is just inside that eatery - " Geist pointed to a semi-detached indoor eatery across the street - "I assume that is were the second Kira is right now."

Demetre followed Geist to where he pointed and increased magnification to see inside. He didn't see the Shinigami that was supposed to be attached to the second Kira. Without touching the Shinigami's Death Note, however, even with "the eyes", Demetre couldn't see Rem regardless. But he did see a little black hair woman in a school girl dress and skirt and glasses with a pair of binoculars.

"That doesn't look like Misa Amane, the movie actress," Demetre said.

"Trust me, she is the second Kira," Geist said. "Rem is standing behind her. Misa Amane also has "the eyes", and any human who possesses a Death Note, others can not see their lifespan. Light Yagami's lifespan will not be seen by her, so he will be easily identified by Misa Amane."

Misa Amane began to get up from her seat. "She's leaving; she knows about Light now," Demetre said, watching her. "If Misa and Light decide to join forces, their recklessness could destroy the very fabric and stability of the world if they start killing people at random. First criminals, then cops…whose to stop them from murdering politicians, senators, government officers, and other well reputable people for their own personal agenda?"

"I agree. But they will meet, they will join forces, and chaos will reign. The future foretells this. However, things can change." Geist stood up straight. "Things can always change with the right person manipulating events."

Demetre chuckled softly. "How very true."

Demetre lowered the binoculars and was about to rise from his chair to leave, he was done here, when a strong hand clasped his shoulder, startling him. Demetre looked around, and of all people, it was his father! His father was a detective in the NPA. He had chosen to drop out of the Kira taskforce when law enforcement officers were getting killed. At the time, Demetre had thought that was cowardly. But now, he was thankful. His father was dressed in a suit and tie. It was a little chilly out, so he also wore a light non-descriptive dark navy blue jacket with a fedora. His father was a handsome man, and like son, a lot of people said Demetre looked just like him.

"Dad!" Demetre squeaked slightly. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about to ask you the same question," his father said firmly. An unfinished glass of Bubble Tea sat on the table in front of Demetre. "I stopped here for lunch. You, on the other hand, should be in school. If you want to join the police force, you can't start skipping classes. What would your mother say if she knew?"

"I wasn't skipping class, Dad, my lecture was cancelled today. The prof called in sick." It was a lie. He never even went to his lecture in political science this morning.

"I see." His father sat down at the table. "So, then, why are you here at this café? And with a pair of binoculars?"

Demetre's mind raced for an excuse. It was a delicate question and he knew his father would see through a bold face lie if told. As a detective, you're taught to observe a person's body language for distrust. Speech pattern, eye movement, fidgeting, nervousness, etc., all were signs of lying. Demetre didn't want to lie to his father, but he knew he couldn't tell him the truth either. His father wouldn't understand.

His father stared at him for an answer. It had been several moments since he'd asked the question. Demetre's heart thumped for the best answer. "Spying," he said spitting out the first thing that came to him. "I have a crush on this…girl. And, um, I was watching her."

"From afar? That's called stalking, son. Who is she?"

Demetre swallowed. "Misa Misa. You know, the movie actress? I heard that she would be in the area, and…" He looked at his father hopefully that his lie wasn't that transparent.

His father's eyes narrowed. Demetre sensed his father was analyzing the answer attempting to determine if it was a lie. It was his profession, it was what he had trained to do, even if it was his own son telling a lie.

His father gave a thin smile. "She's not very smart, you know. You can do better than her. Looks are one thing, son, but you deserve someone better. I seem to remember you had a crush on Light Yagami's old girlfriend in high school,. What was her name? Oh yes, Dana Chika."

Demetre stuttered, trying to respond. But nothing he said seemed decipherable. "She left," he then said. "I moved on."

"So you set your sights on some blonde air-head now?" His father took the binoculars and scanned the area. "So, where is she? I don't see her or her entourage. She's a movie star, so she should have body guards."

"She, um, didn't show. The information I got on the internet didn't pan out."

His father however did seem to focus on something in the distance. Demetre tried to see what from his vantage point, but whatever his father saw couldn't be seen by Demetre's the naked eye. "Isn't that your friend Light Yagami over there?" Demetre didn't know what to say as his father pointed. "Ah, so, you were telling the truth about your lecture being cancelled. Light Yagami's in your political science class, isn't he?"

"Yes, yes he is," Demetre said, smiling slightly. It was as if he lucked out. Without even knowing it, his own father had pulled out the truth from the lie Demetre had told and Light Yagami being here substantiated Demetre's excuse. His father lowered the binoculars, turning back to Demetre. "Do you want to order something, Dad? You're here. We might as well eat."

His father returned the binoculars. "Sure. Lunch with my son is a pleasant treat today. I rarely get to see you with my job. But no more spying, okay? If you have a crush on this Misa Misa girl, don't do anything stupid!"

Demetre nodded. "Of course."

And they ordered.

* * *

To be continued…


	10. Geist's Future Plans

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER NINE

* * *

As soon as Light Yagami fell asleep, Ryuk slipped out of the human's room and flew over the city, gazing at the night time life. Despite being night, Japan, and all its districts, was still a bustling city with people at all hours of the night, partying, dining, gambling, or anything else its people found enjoyable.

And he found it entertaining to watch people hustle about in their lives unbeknownst to his presence. If people only knew that a god of death was watching them - that's what made it so thrilling - they'd be frightened. Ryuk could kill anyone just by writing down their names and take their life force and add it to his own, adding years to his own. But just to kill, how boring, he thought. What Light Yagami was doing as Kira was much more fun! And if he did kill anyone here, it would just be blamed on Kira anyhow.

Ryuk found an elusive party club and transphased through the wall, where hundreds of people were dancing to something they called New Age Music. Frankly, to Ryuk's ears, it was all a bunch of noise. Very loud nothing noise. The acoustics in this place were bad that the lyrics of the songs sounded like they reverberated with an echo. He didn't know much about human music, but he didn't like this kind.

Light liked to listen to classical music which Ryuk found soothing. There was a human expression: "Music soothes the savage beast," and when he listened to instrumental music like that from old composers, Ryuk felt calm, almost peaceful. And classical music was also a buffer for Light's anger towards the world to calm him. He once said, "Why are all the great people dead and all the idiots are still alive?" Whether Light meant to include himself in that statement, Ryuk didn't know, and he didn't bother or care to ask.

But Ryuk had come to this dance club for a very specific purpose, and as he maneuvered his way through the crowd of hyper-active teenagers and young men and woman (he didn't have to, he could've just passed through them like a phantom without disturbing any of them), he made it to the back of the club and floated up and through the ceiling, through four floors, and to the roof, where another Shinigami waited for him. The very same Shinigami that was attached to the human named Demetre Draycott.

Ryuk had seen this Shinigami once before, and in his opinion, the Shinigami called Geist, catered too much to what would pass as human cos-play of a rock n roll star. Geist carried a large sigh club that was atypical of a god of death. But Geist was relatively new to the Shinigami job. When a new recruit is trained to take over for another Shinigami who has turned to dust, he must go through 1,000 years of training to become fully knowledgeable of the Code. And kill just as many humans to earn a high liftspac. But Ryuk was unaware that Geist had passed his qualifications. Justin, second to the Shinigami King, normally announced all new Shinigami to the rest. Either Geist had failed in his training or he went rouge. And if so, Geist was trouble for Ryuk.

"Hello Ryuk, how interesting to see you again," Geist said in greeting.

"I don't believe we've been officially introduced."

"My name is Geist, and I belong or am attached to the human named Demetre Draycott. As if you didn't already know. I wish you wouldn't play stupid. You saw me at your human's house. When Demetre returned Light Yagami's phone that Light misplaced at the university."

Ryuk remained silent for a moment. "I didn't tell my human about you, if that's your next question…"

"You're not the kind of Shinigami who would do something like that, so it never crossed my mind." Geist gave Ryuk a sinister crooked smile. "I'm glad we could meet like this face to face. I've always wanted to meet you in your prime."

Ryuk's eyes narrowed. "What does that mean?"

"Oops. I said too much." Geist shrugged his shoulders. "Forget it. It doesn't matter." Then said, "So, how is your human doing? Still keeping you on a short leash? Still believes he's a god?"

"Light Yagami believes he doing something noble with the Death Note," Ryuk said bluntly.

"And what do you believe? Do you think his plight is righteous or erroneous?"

"I'm a god of death, Geist. I have no moral bias when it comes to murder."

"So murdering innocent people is okay then?"

"Light Yagami is killing people who have committed crimes against humanity. He feels crime needs to be wiped off the face of this planet, and acting as Kira, he knows he can change the minds of the people in his world to make it a safer place."

"Through fear," Geist said.

"By Light's own words, he is justice!"

"So you condone his methods. I see. And what about you? I notice you haven't made one kill since you arrived in this realm. What's the matter, Ryuk, all this murder make you soft? You're a Shinigami, you live to kill. But you lifespan hasn't increased not even one point. In fact, its dropped."

"How I do my job is my business, Geist. What is you purpose here? Are you and Demetre Draycott this second Kira the media is talking about?"

Geist laughed amused. "I guess you're just have to find out. Demetre Draycott knows about Light Yagami and you, I told him. In fact, we've also visited the Shinigami realm several times, grazing in its pleasures. Justin adorns Demetre. He hates Light. And he's not too fond of you at the moment either, Ryuk. In fact, he's even considering bringing in the _Phantom_ to cut your contract with Light Yagami short."

"Why? Are you jealous of what Light Yagami is doing? What, you're human isn't killing enough. Is Kira having too much fun?"

"Hardly. Justin just thinks Light Yagami is altering his world by too much. And now with the appearance of yet a second Kira, things are getting out of hand. Things evolve, worlds evolve, people evolve - but Light Yagami is stabbing a dagger into the heart into his world's evolution. Light Yagami has already murdered one such person who, in a another timeline, went on to become a brilliant scientist who - "

"I know," Ryuk said. "I regret that too. The young man robbed a convenience store. He wasn't suppose to get caught. I saw the man's future in a Future Orb. He was suppose to use that money to earn a doctorate in university and then go on to bring greatness to humanity fifty years from now by - "

"And now that won't happen, because you wanted to be entertained."

"I can't fix that now. What's done is done."

"We'll see about that," Geist murmured. "Nothing is ever written in stone. Even Time."

"What do you plan on doing? Are you going to revert time and kill Light Yagami or stop him from picking up the Death Note? Reality, Space and Time will shatter, destroying our realm and this one."

"I've considered that probably. But something has to be done. And that's why I'm here. And if you know what's good for you, Ryuk, you won't tell this to your human!"

"I can't save him even if I wanted too. Both of us know what happens if we attempt to save our handler. We die, turn to dust, cease to exist. I want to live just as much as any Shinigami."

Geist nodded. "So you understand the consequences. Good."

The Shinigami spread his wings in a wonderful display of angelic liking. They were black, but had a gleam to them that reflected the moonlight. Flapping them, Geist flew away leaving Ryuk to contemplate their conversion.

* * *

Light Yagami awoke suddenly from a sound sleep. He had been having a strange dream about a mysterious shadow creature with wings that challenged his power. Or rather Kira's power. It's face and body were completely cast in darkness while a bright light illuminated from behind it, almost like an angelic being…but this angelic being was the definition of a demon, and Light had felt afraid when he faced it. It held out its hand, crooking the fingers, as if beaconing him, holding something in the other hand, maybe a book. A quick thought gave Light the idea that he may have been dreaming about the second Kira.

Light did feel powerless against this shadow creature, as he felt powerless against the second Kira's higher power's. While Light needed a name and a face to kill his intended victim in the Death Note, the second Kira needed only a face. The second Kira appeared to have "the Eyes", a special power Ryuk had offered Light to see a person's name without finding it out conventionally. It would have made Light's task of cleansing the world of crime a whole lot easier. But with it came an awful price - half his lifespan.

"I intend to oversee my world for a very long time," he remembered saying to Ryuk at the time, and didn't take the deal. But the second Kira did, which made him very dangerous. Subconsciously, perhaps the dream was manifesting Light's fear. And in a dream, it was very difficult, but not impossible, to control fear.

Light put a hand to his face and felt sweat. He never sweat in bed. And it wasn't hot. It was Autumn, in fact. The dream must have triggered his adrenaline - flight or fight - mental reflexes, accelerating his heart rate. He felt all over. His clothes were matted to his body, saturated in dampness.

"Who are you?" he said softly, about the second Kira. "You even haunt my dreams. But I will find you."

He rolled out of bed and stripped out of his clothes and changed, then went to the bathroom to wash his face. He felt dirty, disgusting, as if he had just woken up in a puddle of muddy water.

Looking in the mirror, he saw the reflection of a bitter, young man, angry with the world. What he had been doing with the Death Note was not enough. The world still needed cleansing. But now a new "savior" had arrived in the form of "the second Kira", which, if left unchecked, could unravel everything he had done up until now. He needed to know who this person was, and manipulate him, and if need be, kill him to keep peace. There should be only one Kira. And that was Light Yagami. A god does not share his power.

Suddenly, he looked outwardly, outside the Kira persona he had created, and saw Light Yagami, the bright, young man who planned to take on the world and join his father in the NPA. He had wanted to be a cop all his life, studied hard, even joined his father at the shooting range every once in a while to watch. But it wasn't about holding a gun, it wasn't about putting on a uniform, and it wasn't about following in his father's footsteps. Light Yagami wanted to help people. He wanted to make a difference in the world.

"That's what I've always wanted to do," Light Yagami spoke quietly. And the Death Note was helping him in his life's ambition. He still wanted to be a cop, but with the Death Note, cleansing the world of crime will be a whole lot easier. "And then Kira will be the god to the new world that I create."

It was then something caught his eye and he flattened his shirt. He looked in the mirror, then back at himself, taking off his shirt. He was very thin looking. He flexed his left bicep, but it showed very little definition. He had a flat chest with very little pectoral muscle and his ribs were showing. He wasn't mal-nourished, but he didn't eat much or exercise.

"A god can't look like a peasant; I'll begin an exercise regime tomorrow," he said, and put his shirt back on, switched off the bathroom light, and returned to his room.

He straightened his sheets and puffed up his pillow and tried to go back to sleep. But something began to nag him. Something in the back of his mind told him something was. . .

He sat up and looked around his room. Where was Ryuk? Ryuk normally stayed here at night. Had the Shinigami decided to venture outside?

"You're starting to become very adventurous, Ryuk," he said, to no one in particular, and then decided to ask the god of death about his disappearance in the morning.

* * *

To be continued.


	11. Interlude

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER TEN

* * *

The Shinigami called Geist stood on the top of the highest building he could find and peered down at the city landscape like a monster in the night, watching all its inhabitants go about their mundane lives.

His recent conversion with Ryuk had given him insight into the ultimate purpose of the human Light Yagami. But he had known much of it before. And Geist had revealed to Ryuk that he was here to change things. What would result if Light continued to use the Death Note would change the world. And by revelation, it already had.

One individual that should not have died was killed by the Death Note, thus a future that should have happened would never occur, a bright future. A future he had repeatedly witnessed and replayed in the Future Orbs in the Shinigami realm, a destroyed future all because Ryuk wanted to be entertained.

Geist couldn't just kill Light Yagami or that would result in his own death. And it would cause a paradox that would shatter both this world and the Shinigami realm. No, he would need to do something else.

He also had to contend with another "Kira", this "Second Kira", a girl named Misa Amane, a television and movie actress, who had bonded with the Shinigami known as Rem.

The Future Orb he gave Demetre showed that Rem bonded with this girl out of pity. That the Shinigami known as Gelus saved her life because he had fallen in love with the girl, killing her would-be murderer, thus changing history and extending her life. And this girl had no reservation about obtaining the Shinigami Eyes, giving half her lifespan to Rem. This made her very dangerous, and he knew what the future held for her, and eventually she would fall in league with Light Yagami, forming a partnership with him. Learning Light was Kira was only the first step in this, that's why she was at that café spying on him. Next would be to met Light Yagami. And when that happened, things will escalate to a whole new dangerous level.

The one good thing about all this was neither of them knew about Demetre. And he could trust Ryuk not to reveal to Light Yagami about Demetre also having a Death Note and bonded to a Shinigami, or Ryuk would suffer the consequences.

Geist knew Light Yagami was the one who murdered Demetre's grandfather with the Death Note and not the second Kira, but he kept it to himself. If Demetre knew this, the human wouldn't hesitate to finish his friend's name in the Death Note he had started but stopped short of completing when he first learned Light Yagami had a Death Note. And if Ryuk revealed to Light about Demetre, Geist would reveal this information, thus spoiling Ryuk's entertainment. That was the last thing Ryuk would want.

So Demetre was safe, for now. And Geist could continue with his agenda unabated.

Geist heard a feint muffled voice, and turned to his left thigh where a weathered leather pouch hung from his belt. Inside was one of two miniature Future Orbs he had brought with him from the Shinigami world. The other he had given to Demetre to use.

Hearing this voice again, calling his name, Geist opened the flap and snatched it with his pointed fingers. Demetre's face floated misty on its glassy surface, similar-like to this world's communication face-to-face era. Geist had showed Demetre how to contact him using the Future Orb like a cell phone.

"Where are you Geist?" Demetre demanded.

"I was out enjoying your city's night life," Geist said with a smirk.

"While I've allowed you a certain degree of latitude to go off on your own, you're still bonded to me. Did you accomplish the task I gave you?"

"You do not command me, human. Know you place. But I have accomplished the task."

"Very good," Demetre said, ignoring Geist's insubordinate attitude. "Then return to me."

Geist found it interesting that Demetre had no fear of him, a god of death who could kill him at anytime without recourse. Human's had an innate fear of death, but Demetre didn't seem to care. Teenagers often thought they were infallible, risking life and limb for adventure and personal gain.

But in the short time that he and Demetre had been bonded, he had been shown of Demetre's religious nature, that despite there being no proof, Demetre believed in a god told about in a book that worked miracles. And while Demetre could tangibly see Geist, a god of death, the notion of there being one ultimate higher spirit simply known as God continued to keep Demetre grounded in a strong religious belief that one day when he died, he would be rewarded for his faith.

It was a curious belief that Geist knew for a fact had no merit.

Acquiescing to Demetre's request, Geist returned the Future Orb into the pouch and spread his large black feathery wings out, flapping them. Leaping off the top of the building, he flew into the night and made his way back to Demetre's two-story townhouse in a suburban place of the city. Transphasing through the wall of Demetre's bedroom, he found the human sitting on the edge of his bed immersed in thought.

Demetre was sitting in the dark in his underwear when he finally looked up at the returning god of death. Demetre smiled, and his eyes seemed whiter even in the darkness of the room. Sitting next to him on the bed was the book of his religion. Demetre had passages bookmarked and the book was very worn as if opened and read many times. Around Demetre's neck hung from a gold chain was also the symbol of his religion, and Demetre kissed the cross briefly, as if doing so gave him strength to speak.

"You saw Ryuk?" Demetre said.

"Yes," Geist said. "He wanted to tell Light Yagami of our bond, but I convinced him otherwise. And he agreed."

"Are you sure?"

Geist nodded. "Ryuk thinks this is all a game and he wants it to continue. He doesn't care what happens. He considers himself merely an observer. So I know he won't reveal you to Light Yagami."

"You didn't reveal that we know of Misa Amane, did you?"

"No, but I did hint we knew who the Second Kira was, and perhaps it may be you."

Demetre smiled. "For the time being that will do just fine. But once Misa Amane makes her presence known to Light, Ryuk will know that there are three people with a Death Note. Which won't matter. My plan is working well. And I'll use Light to bring it to its full fruition."

Demetre rose to his feet and switched on his laptap sitting on his desk with a mere touch of a finger. The glow of the screen illuminated half his room with a white bluish hue, also revealing his near-nakedness.

Geist noticed how tone Demetre's muscles were, but he was curious as Demetre exercised little. Demetre was a Vegan, which meant he ate nothing with meat in it, but muscles needed protein to develop and grow.

On the screen was the haiku Demetre had written to Kira with a number of replies beneath, that he posted on the site KIRA UNDERGROUND. That site was very popular to Kira fanatics. Demetre had checked responses, but he knew the real Kira - Light had not responded. There was only one response he was looking for, and Demetre knew the real Kira would not give it, or reveal exposing himself. And Demetre knew L was also watching. And in this age of computers, no one on the internet could remain anonymous to a person who had the resources and knowledge to look, especially to L with unlimited backing.

"Things are happening slowly just as I planned," Demetre said. "But things can pick up very quickly, and I'm prepared for that. Once Misa Amane makes her move, we have to be ready for it."

"Why not just kill her and get it over with? She's nothing."

Demetre frowned, after closing down his laptop. "She's actually very important," he said. "Trust me, Geist. Once my plan is in full swing, you'll be dazzled at the brilliance of it."

"But we both know she'll grown to be a threat - "

"A threat to Light, not us," Demetre said. "Only Ryuk knows about us, and you've already told him it would be unwise to reveal I have a Death Note. Unless he goes rouge like you, I have nothing to worry about." Demetre turned and eyed Geist for a moment. "He won't go rouge, will he?"

"Not anymore than he already has in being here and bonding with Light Yagami," Geist said.

"Good," Demetre said, returning to his bed. He pulled back the covers. "Things will start very soon. This is going to be fun, my dear god of death. And very entertaining, in more ways than one. . ."

* * *

To be continued.


	12. Enter Zurn

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 11

* * *

Misa Amane.

The Second Kira.

Light Yagami had been incensed by the sight and gull of this young girl, coming to his house with a Death Note in hand. She had been the one who had been killing the out-spoken against Kira.

They had spoken in his room, and she begged to join his cause and pledge to eradicate the world of crime, and they came to an agreement with her Shinigami at her side. Rem was its name. A tall, lanky, skeleton-type creature with an insufferable devotion to Misa, that he would later learn was due to another Shinigami awash with pity over her, preventing Misa's death by an obsessed fanatic. Misa was a movie and tv star.

Misa was gullible and naïve. A small, thin girl with long blonde hair. The only thing she did have going for her was her devotion to Kira. But he had thought how dare she share Kira's power and encroach upon the new world Kira was creating.

This girl had a Death Note and the Eyes, which made her dangerous. So he would have to use her until he'd figure out the best strategy to get rid of her. But with Rem, he'd have to be careful. Through body language alone, he could tell Rem cared about Misa. Which he found odd for a god of death. Ryuk did say Shinigami had different personalities, and not all of them were cold murderous monsters.

Light still a lot to learn about Shinigami, but he would dive into their culture further as the years went by, and as his new world was built.

The target range inside the NPA's headquarters basement was empty save for himself and one other person Light didn't know. One of the NPA officers he guessed. The man wore a suit and tie.

The target range had five slots each with its own bullseye paper hung by a line thirty feet on the north wall. With earphones, protective glasses, and gun poised, Light fired at the target...

His father, director chief of police, in preparation for Light's fellowship as a police officer, accepted Light's request to begin using a weapon in training. Light had passed the written test with flying colours. His father normally joined Light during his range lessons, but his father had an errand to do and left his son alone for a few minutes. Light took it upon himself to conduct a little practice, but frankly, his aim wasn't very good. He knew the mechanics of the gun, the velocity in which it fired, positioning, and everything else he studied for the written test. But when it came down practicality, it was one thing he needed major work on.

Darts he could master, a gun was a different. There was something about the recoil of a weapon that failed to fall into his mathematical equations when firing the weapon at the target. Or maybe he was thinking too hard about it. He still failed to get a bullseye after weeks of practice.

"My big brother's a genius," his little sister's voice rang in his mind. She had said this one evening during a family dinner. He had thought modest of it at the time, but now he realized how flawed the comment was, especially when it came to mastering this...

"Why can't I hit the bullseye?" he remarked, recalling the target paper. He yanked it off the line when it got to him. Holes were everywhere, in a random, chaotic pattern. There was no conformity. And he hated that. And no where was there a hole need the centre dot, which was his main goal to hit.

He frowned angry. He could master everything else in his life, but for some reason, this was eluding him.

"Maybe it's your weapon," the other said.

Light turned to the man who had been in the third booth, target shooting. The man was well groomed, taller than light, and broad shouldered.

"Excuse me?" Light said, removing his earphones. It was also a question for the man to identify himself.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but I heard your question," the other said.

"It wasn't a question," Light said, "it was a more of a remark. More rhetorical than anything..."

The man extended a hand. "Zurn Wellington. I'm an associate of your father's, or was at least until that blasted Kira case. Light, right?"

Light blinked once, eying the man with skepticism, before shaking Zurn's hand. "Yes, Light Yagami. My father's never mentioned you - "

"I wouldn't imagine he would," Zurn replied. "Like I said, I was merely an associate of your father. I've never worked beside him, but he has consulted my department a couple of times since the Kira case began. Well, until L joined the fray. Then your father cut ties with my department. Orders from L, I'd assume. For secrecy and confidentiality."

Light could agree with that assumption. Only the taskforce had access to what L had.

"What department are you in?" Light asked.

"Criminal Profiling. My field of expertise is behavioral and clinical psychology."

Light swallowed nervously, wondering if Zurn was profiling him at the moment. But Light kept a steady face. "Nice to meet you," he said politely.

Zurn tiled his head slightly to the right, and then eyed Light from head to foot. His eyes narrowed. "You're nervous, I can tell. You're hiding something."

Light stood straight refusing to allow Zurn to intimidate him, but didn't reply to the accusation. "You said something about the gun I'm using..." reverting the conversation back to the original topic. "It's my father's secondary weapon. He let me use it."

"Let me hold it."

Light had no qualms about that and gave it to Zurn. Zurn weighed it in the palm of his hand. "Heavy. No wonder your shot is off." Zurn looked at the target paper Light was holding. "A weapon should be tailored to its user for maximum efficiency."

"I agree. But I'm not allowed to purchase a calibre of my own at the moment. And the NPA issues its own guns to its officers."

Zurn gave back Light's gun, then reached behind his back and unholstered his own. It was not standard issue, Light noticed. It was crafted with sterling silver highlights and very sleek looking.

"Try this." Zurn handed the gun to Light. "Light immediately noticed how light it weighed compared to his father's as he held both. "The density of the metal is lighter, so the recoil is a lot less. Less kick to it."

Light put his father's gun down and juggled Zurn's gun from hand to hand feeling its weight. "A lot lighter," he agreed. "Where did you get it?"

"Personal favor from a friend," Zurn said. Zurn put up a new target, returned it to the back wall.

Light took it as an invitation to use it and put on his earphones. He took aim at the target. Zurn slightly corrected Light's aim...

And Light fired.

Bullseye!

Light startled with shock and awe. He steadied, and then took a few more shots. Not all of them hit the centre dot, but each of them came close. A far cry with his father's weapon.

Zurn slapped Light on the shoulder in congratulations, and Light removed his earphones.

"You did it! I told you all you need is the proper tool in your hands to make a difference."

Light was pleased with himself as the target came back to him. "Thank you," he said, returning the gun to Zurn. Zurn holstered it. "It fires similar and has the appearance of a Gloc 79, but something about it is different."

Zurn smiled. "Good observation, Light. You're correct. It's a one-of-a-kind calibre. My friend is in the munitions field, so he crafted me this gun."

"Maybe he can make me a weapon like that when I'm allowed to carry one."

"Maybe." Zurn smirked. "You need to get yourself a gun more balance to you, that you feel comfortable with. Think of a gun like a woman, if you feel comfortable with one, she'll never let you down."

Light laughed.

"Give your father back his weapon," Zurn said, "he obviously feels comfortable carrying around a brick."

Light gave the hint of a smile and nodded, taking hold of his father's gun once more. Target practice was over. Light prepared to leave. He knew he'd find his father either in his office upstairs or around the vicinity.

"So Light, do you have a girlfriend?" Light turned sharply responding to the sudden, invasive question, looking at Zurn. "The only reason I ask because you're a handsome guy and brain's will only get you so far in life." Zurn laughed.

Light didn't laugh. "Shouldn't that be the other way around," he said. "Looks will only get you so far in life…"

Zurn smirked. "Yeah, exactly. It was a joke, Light. You need a sense of humour. Woman love men with - "

"Were you testing my reaction? More information for your profile on me?"

"What? I'm insulted, Light. You thought I was profiling you? I'm only making conversation, nothing more. Besides, I know all about you. Meaning, you've helped your father on a couple of difficult cases. Information profiling. You're a very smart guy, top of his class, aced the college entrance exam -"

"How do you know all this?"

"Your father brags about you. Information trickles down the grapevine in the NPA."

"I'm sorry," Light said, apologizing for his accusation that Zurn had been profiling him.

"You're very defensive." Zurn hinted at saying something else to add, but waved it off. "Never mind, I won't pry."

"Yes, I do have a girlfriend," Light found himself saying, as if guilt lead to revealing it. "Her name is Takada."

"Have you two..."

Light frowned. "That's a rather personal question, Mr. Wellington. More profiling?"

Zurn stared at Light straight-faced. "You're a very cynical person, Light, you know that."

Light remained silent, as if mentally staring down Zurn.

Zurn suddenly laughed. "Good."

"Good?" Light repeated.

"Teens like to brag about their sexual exploits, but you're different. You like to keep secrets."

"Secrets are one thing, but something like that isn't usually answerable to a complete stranger," Light said.

"Simple logic. Good. Now, let me test your deductive skills. Why would I ask such a poignant question to someone I've only met?"

"Another test, Mr. Wellington? Tisk, tisk. Simple really. Reaction." Light paused for a moment. "You profile people, and depending on how I answered your question, you'd probably ascertained my mental state."

"That's half correct," Zurn said. "Your body language is what gave me what I really wanted. And you didn't disappoint. But you're a quick study. A good trait for an up-and-coming detective. You practice perfectionism, I can see that; your words and body are honed to a set design. I would imagine your bedroom is immaculate." Zurn looked Light up and down. "Your clothes are clean-pressed, your hair is neat, and your speech has no slang. You've perfected yourself into your perfect mould, or you have some form of obsessive compulsive disorder. Which would suit you."

"Is that your assessment of me? That I have OCD just because of way I think, that I dress well and take care of the way I look?"

Zurn laughed. "Don't look so serious, Light. It's what I do, how I've been trained, what I'm good at. You'd make a great analyst."

"My father said the same thing once..."

"Then, when you're ready to join the NPA, join the Intelligence division. We could use a guy like you at the Bureau."

"Thanks. I'll think about it. I'm in university now working towards joining my father on the force."

"That's good." Zurn smiled. "Well, Light. Nice to finally meet you. Your father has talked about you a lot. He's very proud of you. Hope to see you again some time."

"As I you," Light returned in kind.

Zurn went to leave, opening the door to the corridor outside the target range, but then said, "Oh, and get yourself a comfortable weapon when the time's right."

"I will," Light replied. And Zurn left.

Light watched the door as it closed shut behind Zurn and his eyes narrowed with disdain for the man. There was something about Zurn that brushed Light the wrong way, other than the way he had attempted to profile Light. But he wouldn't use the Death Note on him. Well, not yet.

While Zurn was profiling him, Light had been profiling Zurn. The man was very intelligent and it would be a shame for the NPA to lose such an valuable asset to something as petty as a heart attack. L would immediately suspect foul play, anyway, and Kira would be blamed.

No, Light decided, he'd observe the man. That's what a good detective did.

* * *

Zurn Wellington immediately left the corridor adjacent to the target range and entered an elevator and pulled out his cell phone and send out a txt message to one contacts.

All it said was: "FYILY." (For Your Interest: Light Yagami.)

Zurn had pressed the button for the lobby when he entered the elevator. But as the doors opened for him to exit and he was about to take a step out, he halted in his tracks.

"Superintendent Chief Yagami..."

"Hello, Zurn," Soichiro Yagami said.

"What brings you here...?"

"My son is in the target range. I stepped out to do an errand."

"Oh. Um, how is the Kira case going?" Zurn asked Yagami, taking a ride back down in the elevator with the chief.

"No new developments, other than a copycat playing a dangerous game with Kira."

Zurn nodded, remembering the videos both Kira's sent to each other through that television station.

"My son will be consulting with the taskforce now; he's helped me out with some difficult cases before. But I would also like your input on the case, Zurn. You seem to have a firm understanding of Kira's mental profile, according to your latest profile on him."

"I believe I do, sir. And I would happy to provide you, the taskforce, and L, with any information I can gather."

"That would be most helpful, Zurn. Unfortunately, if your next question is is there any room on the taskforce for you, the answer is no. L's directive."

"I understand, chief. L weeded out the best officers. That's obvious."

"You're very perceptive," Soichiro Yagami said. "Unfortunately for you, you were on assignment when L first introduced himself and the Kira case began. But I would like your help on the sidelines."

"Anything I can do to help, sir," Zurn said happily.

Yagami took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose as the elevator doors opened. He and Zurn stepped out into the corridor adjacent to the target range.

"May I say, you look tired, sir," Zurn said. "You look pale."

"It's nothing. I just haven't been getting enough sleep since the Kira case began."

"Maybe you should go home and get some rest. You wouldn't want a heart attack from too much stress."

Yagami adjusted his glasses back onto his face. "Or from something else," Yagami said.

"Agreed."

"I'll consider it. Thanks for your concern, Zurn."

"Any time, chief."

Zurn took the elevator back up to the lobby, leaving Yagami.

He would watch and observe Light Yagami. He would keep tabs on the Kira case. And he would obey his orders not to intervene until called upon.

The Savánt Society knew how to deal with an individual who abused a Death Note.

* * *

to be continued...


	13. Demetre learns a startling truth

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER TWELVE

* * *

"That damn girl!" Light cured Misa Amane as he sat on his bed. He frowned.

Ryuk hovered above the floor cross-legged and chuckled. "Don't pout, Light. She seems kind of stupid, but she is beautiful. A nice catch for you."

"I'm not interested in Misa!" Light said. "She's an inconvenience. I thought Shinigami aren't suppose to sympathize with humans...she'll ruin everything!"

"But she vowed loyalty to you - "

"Loyalty means nothing these days. If it suits them, people will turn to save their own skin. But if anything happens to Misa, Rem has vowed to kill me at the risk of her own existence. I have no choice to let Misa join my cause. How can I rule with a ditsy girl like her as my queen? I'd rather have - "

"Takada?"

Light eyed Ryuk. "Exactly. She's perfect. Smart, funny and beautiful."

"You really like her a lot..."

"Very much. But I don't want us to get too involved. Misa has a jealous streak. I don't want Takada to have some unfortunate accident. She might have some use in the future. If I told Takada about the Death Note, I don't know if she would join me."

"You two would have beautiful babies," Ryuk said and chuckled.

"Stop joking around, Ryuk. This is serious. I have to find a way to ditch Misa and take her Death Note, and convince Rem not to kill me. That girl should not have a such power. Misa is emotionally unstable."

"It was given to her by a Shinigami, you found yours..."

"I know our situations are different, but what's the difference?"

"There's a big difference. She was chosen, you were not. You just happened to pick it up - "

"As you've told me." Light grunted annoyed. "But one's destiny is in the hands of the beholder. I'd like to think that I was given the Death Note for a noble purpose."

"Sure. You think that. But you'd only be deluding yourself. I was bored, nothing more."

"Me thinks he doth protest too much," said Light, quoting a line from Shakespeare. "Divinity at its finest, eh Ryuk. We humans have a spiritual side, but not all of us embrace it. Demetre is very religious, while I am not. I'm realistic."

"And you playing the part of a pseudo god with the Death Note is…realistic?"

Light took offence to the remark and scowled.

"You're not the only one with a Death Note now, you have competition," Ryuk said. "There are others."

"I would hardly call Misa competition. I'll take care of her when the time is right." Light then looked at Ryuk inquisitively. "Others? Are you saying there are other people with Death Notes than myself and Misa? Are you keeping something from me, Ryuk?"

"Me? No!" Ryuk said nervously.

"Tell me, Ryuk," Light demanded. "If there are other people besides myself and Misa with Death Notes out there, I need to know. I want to know!"

"Who's to say," Ryuk said. "There might be. That's all I'm implying. There might be more Shinigami as well. I don't keep track of them. That's an administrative task, not my job."

"I know you're lying, Ryuk. You voice is inundated with deception. I'm training to be a detective - "

"Doesn't mean you know everything," said Ryuk said quickly.

Light smiled sly. "What a detective doesn't know, he deduces or finds out. If you want to be elusive, fine. No more apples until I get what I want."

"That's not fair!"

Light crossed his arms over his chest. "Try me."

"Remember who you're talking to, Light. I'm a god of death!"

"Bonded to me, until the Death Note is finished or I die, whichever one comes first. Your threat is meaningless, Ryuk. You came to the human world to be entertained and that's what I'm doing, in a matter of speaking. Entertaining you, while building my utopia."

"But you might kill him and he hasn't done anything to you."

Light smiled. "Why, thank you for that little bit of information. I now know the owner is male. That eliminates half my suspects. And from the tone of your voice, it sounds like you might know who this person is and been in contact with his Shinigami. Which may explain why you've been sneaking off at night. I've noticed your absence, Ryuk. One thing I can guess, however, is that he has no plans to share in my utopia."

Ryuk blinked. "And how do you know that?"

"Misa and I have compared notes and there is only one suspicious death outstanding related to the Death Note caused by heart attack that neither one of us claim. A man found in an alley downtown. This was his first and only kill by Death Note."

"Like father and son, you'll make a great detective," Ryuk said sarcastically.

"Then tell me who he is!"

"I can't do that. It's against Shinigami law."

"You said others have broken Shinigami law. Misa acquiring a Death Note by her means is proof of this. Based on their personality, they do reveal things to their handlers."

"But what fun would that be?"

Light nodded. "Yes. You came to the human world to be entertained. I can see the excitement in knowing something another does not. Very well, Ryuk. I'll play along, for now."

"Do I still get apples?"

Light uncrossed his arms and stood. "Yes, you will. I wouldn't deny you that. I wouldn't want to anger a god of death," he said sardonically.

_Or a human with a Death Note,_Light thought. I'll learn who this other person is with a third Death Note, and bend him to my will.

* * *

"The Shinigami isn't with him," Geist said to Demetre, as they watched Light Yagami from afar, walking with Takada on the ToHo University campus grounds. The pair were chatting and laughing.

Demetre stood next to a tall, thick oak tree. Not exactly invisible, but not hiding either. In his hand was a pair of binoculars, the same he used to spy on Light Yagami downtown, during that pitiful display to hide himself from the second Kira, Misa Amane.

"Takada. Not surprising Light would snatch her. She's smart and beautiful." Demetre focused on her.

"You have a crush on her, don't you?" Geist said, standing in full view, but not visible to anyone without a Death Note or who had touched Demetre's.

"Nothing so childish," Demetre replied. "I do like her, she's one of the most popular girls at the university..."

"Ah, so...nothing else?"

Demetre didn't answer the Shinigami. He focused on both Light and Takada, and out of the corner of his vision he saw Ryuga Hideki, the student who tied Light for the perfect score in the entrance exams.

Demetre focused on him. Ryuga was a weird looking guy, squatting on chairs instead of sitting down on them, no dress decorum, and eccentric in both his mannerisms and looks. He looked like some mad scientist-type. And supposedly with those grades, he was.

Ryuga was squatting on a bench in the university gardens reading a book. Demetre found it curious the guy had the exactly same name and spelling of that male movie star.

"Wait a minute." Demetre stopped watching Ryuga and focused in on what he saw above the guy's head. The _Eyes_Demetre "purchased" from Geist showed something interesting.

"His name is different," Geist said, catching on.

"Louis Lawlett. A false name? Why would that guy need a false name?" Demetre then smiled, an idea coming to him. "Oh, how perfect! Do you know what this means?"

"He's trying to hide his real identity," said Geist simply.

"More than that." Demetre turned, looked at Geist. "Don't you see? A mysterious student who rivals Light sharing a perfect score. This same student having the name of a well known male movie star with the exact same spelling. And he's attending the same university as Light, who is Kira." Demetre looked back at Ryuga. "Looks like we found a gem here. We just found L."

"How can you be sure? He could just be a fanatic of that movie star."

Demetre smirked. "Could be. But I think it's more to protect himself. If one person with the same name is famous, you'd immediate think of them. So, if Light wrote Ryuga Hideki's name in the Death Note, he could accidentally picture the movie star and kill him instead."

"I see," Geist said. "Interesting culture you human's have. We Shinigami have one name only and none of us are named the same."

"There are six billion people on this planet..."

"I get your point. But that still doesn't prove he's L."

"On the contrary. At the entrance exams, he was sitting behind Light, at the entrance ceremony, he was sitting beside Light. I noticed that interaction. And L said something to Light that made his face twitch with shock just after the Freshman speech. I'm betting L told Light his true identity to get a reaction out of him."

"You're reaching to a bias conclusion, Demetre."

"I don't think so..."

Demetre watched as Light and Takada stopped in front of the bench Ryuga was on. Light's face suddenly went pale. And then Takada left, directed away by Light.

Light and Ryuga had a short conversion, until a voice shouted, "Light!" And again, Light's face went pale.

"Well, the gang's all here," Demetre said, identifying Misa Amane through the binoculars. "Looks like they'd already met. Both Kira's have joined forces. That didn't take long. But I wagered as much after those messages appeared on tv. 'I found him', one message said."

Misa went over to Light and Ryuga and talked with them. Demetre wondered what the trio were talking about. A crowd soon formed, circling them. More so Misa, the movie actress.

"What's happening?" Geist said.

"Stardom," Demetre explained. "How stupid and foolish. She's just confirmed her association with Light. If L suspects Light as Kira, L now knows Misa is the second Kira."

"So, if Light is the first Kira, why not take revenge on him for killing your grandfather? You finally have your answer who murdered him."

Demetre found himself wondering why revenge wasn't so important anymore. Geist was right. All he had to do was finish Light's name in the Death Note and it would all be over.

"No," he decided. "That would be stupid. If Light or Misa are killed by heart attack or other means right now, L will suspect there's a third Kira."

"Then kill L. You know his real name and a seen his face - "

"Equally foolish," said Demetre. "I'd rather have L and his taskforce focus their attention on those two. L doesn't know about me and I'd like to keep that way. He does know about 'Shinigami' because Misa foolishly spoke of them in one of her messages to Kira. But I don't think he knows the connection yet between them and the Death Note. He probably just thinks there's something supernatural going on."

Demetre lowered the binoculars for the last time. "Besides, you've already told me the events that transpire."

Geist sighed heavy. "I'm bored." He looked at Demetre.

Geist appeared to stare directly into Demetre's eyes with the empty sockets in his skull, when Demetre looked back at the Shinigami. Demetre wondered how Geist saw at all with no eyes. But he accepted the Shinigami's annoyance, that he wanted to engage in a little fun and agreed to Geist's wishes. If only to appease the god of death, so he wouldn't do anything stupid to ruin Demetre's plans.

"Very well, Geist," Demetre said. "I think I have the perfect activity to relieve your boredom. And in an ironic twist, provide me with some entertainment as well."

Demetre went to leave, but stopped short when he saw Misa grabbed by an older, business-type dressed woman. He didn't know who she was, but her demeanor looked sharp and determined. And despite what at first seemed like a struggle, Misa walked away with her willingly, waving bye to Light.

Light and L then went their separate ways.

Demetre decided to follow Misa, thinking so, he decided, would gather more information about her and her association with Light. There was no use in adding something to his plans without information to play them out.

Geist's fun would have to come later.

Following Misa and the other woman, he saw them turn a corner of a building, and were quickly surrounded by a group of business-type men and women in suits wearing helmets with tinted face plates.

They blind-folded and shackled Misa and the other woman, and hauled them into an unmarked black van as the pair struggled, driving away.

"Interesting," Geist remarked. "Looks like L's ahead of the game. He just kidnapped Misa Amane. He may have suspected Misa a lot sooner than we thought."

"Apparently so," Demetre said surprised, "and most likely told to him by one of his spies on the street, following Light in secret."

Demetre turned to see L leaving the scene, walking across campus to a black stretch limo that had parked at the curb. An elderly gentleman in a chauffeur uniform got out and opened the passenger door for L.

The chauffeur said something to L, and L turned, and looked directly at Demetre, then walked over. Demetre didn't move, L had him in his sights.

"Hello," L said. "You're a student of ToHo university, correct?"

Apparently L didn't know of Demetre's friendship with Light, or he'd immediately addressed so. Or was L playing stupid? Demetre would see.

"Yes, I am. What just happened?" Demetre asked, playing innocent.

L looked in the direction of where the van was before speeding away. "Don't be alarmed. The girl taken away was done so for a legitimate reason, nothing more."

"But wasn't that Misa Misa, the movie actress?"

"Why, yes. I would imagine you would recognize her." L looked back to his chauffeur. The man nodded as if to answer an unspoken question. "What's your name?"

"Demetre."

"Well Demetre, I would you to come with me."

"I'm in some sort of trouble?"

"Of course not. But I'd like to have a chat with you about what you saw, away from prying eyes and sensitive ears."

Demetre joined L in the limo, and it drove off.

* * *

To be continued.


	14. Plans to visit the Shinigami Realm

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER THIRTEEN

* * *

"After a year, if I don't regain my memories, or if Misa isn't released, you can kill me with the Death Note..."

Light hoped those words didn't come back to haunt him.

Rem flew away through the umbrella coverage of the trees tops, as Light watched, standing in the wooded area with Ryuk, his words to the Shinigami still ringing in his ears.

Wearing a light grey track suit, similar to the one he wore when he killed Ray Penber at the train station months earlier, he had doubts about the plan he had concocted. But he was forced into a quick decision, or Rem would kill him if he didn't offer an attempt to rescue Misa from L, accused of being the second Kira.

With only one recourse, Light planned to turn himself into L and officiate a flimsy lie like he had a double personality or something to that affect, claiming that he was Kira. What better way to offset guilt than to suddenly claim he was whom L thought Light was. It would offer a shock factor, and would punch doubts into L's supposition immediately in the minds of the taskforce. Subconsciously L would wonder why Light would be doing this and without knowing it research theories whether Light was really Kira or covering for someone else, like Misa. It would throw L off balance. Light would have to forgo his freedom for a while, but it was the perfect way to show his innocence.

Once incarcerated, the list of criminal names he wrote down previously in the Death Note with a future date stamp would start dying. Hopefully to L, this would prove Kira was still on the loose and both he and Misa would be set free due to lack of evidence.

That was the plan. Whether it worked was more up to L. Some people believed in luck, but Light didn't put stock in it, he made his own.

L believed Light was Kira. L didn't know how Light was killing, only that Light fit the profile of Kira, psychologically. And the times in which the killing began, back when Light was in high school, fit Light's lifestyle. Kira had only been killing criminals outside of school hours at first. And L thought Kira was a student. Once Light learned L figured that out, Light changed his strategy, killing randomly and at all hours. A criminal once an hour for a twenty-four period just to confuse the detective. But it didn't last for long. And L started to suspect Kira was sending him a message: "Watch me kill anyone at any time and there's nothing you can do about it!"

But when Misa came into the picture, things began to get complicated. Like most woman do, they always complicate a simplistic situation. If it wasn't for Misa, Light would still be killing in the shadows. But it was too late for incriminations or wishful what if thinking.

Light thought in the present.

"I'll prove L wrong," said Light, "and show him who's smarter."

"You're taking an awful risk, Light," Ryuk said, watching Light insert the Death Note into a plastic sleeve and then lock it into a lock box. Light had dug a deep hole and placed the box into it, burying it with loose dirt.

"I don't have a choice, Ryuk. Hopefully Rem will tell Misa where to find it when this is all settled and restore her memories after L releases her. I don't expect L will keep us more or less than a few weeks before he's convinced of my and Misa's innocence." Although Light wasn't confident in that supposition. Like L, Light had also profiled L from what he knew. Mentally, L was stubborn, and he might keep Light and Misa longer than anticipated just to satisfy his own need to be right.

Misa had been forced to relinquish her Death Note due to her incarceration; Misa couldn't function. Misa was bound and gagged, unable to move. For all intensive purposes, L was convinced in doing this he would brake her down and confess and expose Light in the process. But Misa had been surprisingly resilient.

Rem cared for Misa, so the Shinigami regarded valor the better part of discretion and opted to wipe her memories of the Death Note for her safety. Misa agreed.

Rem was a problem now. And Light had no choice but to do what the Shinigami demanded or his tenure as "god of his new world" would be brought to a sudden and tragic end by his death. If he died, it would prove his innocence (that Kira killed him), but Kira would be dead too, and the world would fall back into chaos. The world feared Kira. Criminal activity had dropped eighty percent since Light had started administering swift justice. Kira had to live, and Light had to do what was needed to bring his new world to fruition, and like everything of such a large magnitude, it warranted sacrifice.  
So, if L thought Light was Kira, Light would give L every reason to play to that assumption and then pull the carpet out from underneath him when criminals started dying while both Light and Misa were incarcerated. Hence disapproving L's theory.

Light just wondered how long it would take.

"So, do you remember the code phrase, Ryuk? When I say "get rid of it" in any fashion regardless of use, that is your cue that I wish to relinquish the Death Note. Understand?"

"Your memories of the Death Note will be lost. Are you sure you want this?"

"Rem isn't giving me a choice. But I'll say it only as a last resort."

Ryuk understood.

"But first, I want you to do something for me. Take me to your world."

Ryuk's eyes widened with surprise. Geist said he had taken Demetre Draycott to the Shinigami Realm and said the other's liked him, but they hated Light. Geist never explained why exactly. But there was also the possibility Geist had been lying. Ryuk didn't want to take that chance.

"There's no rule against it, but no one's ever asked to visit my realm before."

"Then I'll be the first," Light said arrogantly. "This will be my chance to experience something extraordinary. In a couple of hours, I'll be under twenty-four surveillance. If this is my last night in league with a god of death, I want to see your world, as you have mine."

"I don't see the point," Ryuk said. "You won't remember anything if you decide to relinquish the Death Note."

"The mind retains everything it experiences. Simple curiosity begs me to request this. Is there a problem?"

"I don't think so. I'm bound by the Death Note, but - "

"The Shinigami Realm intrigues me. My attire is unbefitting of such an auspicious visit, but I highly doubt god's of death have a dress code, judging by your freakish matter of dress. Let's go now."

"I never said you could. It's my world."

"And you'll in my world. So?"

"Coming here for me was different. I don't think the Shinigami King will allow you to visit our world."

"You said there are no rules against it, so why not take me there?"

"Like I said, no one has ever asked to visit my world - "

"So there's no protocol. Do you fear reprisal from your superiors? Is that why you won't take me?"

"It's not as simple as that. I'm a god of death, a supernatural being. You Light, are a human and are alive. I don't know how you can transverse the dimensional vortex addies. Your body could be ripped apart."

"Do you think I haven't thought of that. But there has to be a way."

Ryuk sighed, thinking. "There might be a way, but you'll have to use the Death Note."

"How?"

"You'll have to write your name down."

Light's eyes widened with shock. "If you suggest I write my own name down in the Death Note just to satisfy my curiosity of what your world looks like, you're sadly mistaken. I'd rather not know."

"I can bring you back," Ryuk said.

Light looked at Ryuk strangely.

He had read an article once in a medical journal that documented case studies of people that had been declared deceased, but through an unexplained miracle came back to life with all their facilities in tact.

But to die by the Death Note would mean from a heart attack. His heart would be damaged. He didn't like that idea. "Resurrect me? How?"

Ryuk reached into a black pouch attached to his belt, left hip, and pulled out a small rectangular black object.

Light leaned in closer. "Is that what I think it is?"

Ryuk nodded. "It's an eraser. Every Shinigami has one, but it's only on very special cases do we use it, and each eraser can only be used once, and then it disappears. We can always get more, but Shinigami kill. To ask for another eraser would mean a lot of red tape. Shinigami politics is very complex."

Light could understand that. His world's politics, especially in regards to the law, was very complex. Criminals these days seem to have more rights than the average free citizen. That's why the world needed Kira, to make the decisions too difficult for others to make like ease the burden on citizens who pay taxes to keep criminals in jail. Murderers, child molesters, serial killers...any criminal that deserved to die, Kira would pronounce justice on them, thus making other people think twice about committing crimes. The philosophical issue about what Kira was doing was unquestionable.

Ryuk continued. "I can write down a name, kill a person, and then bring that person back at anytime by erasing their name from the Death Note."

Light rubbed his chin, thinking. "People claim while sleeping, they can travel outside their body and exist in a dimensional realm. It's called Astral Projection. The body is basically dead, in a vegetable state. If I understand what you're asking, you want me to die and journey to your realm as an ethereal being."

Ryuk nodded. "It would only be temporary. We'll leave your body in a safe place so you can return to it. And when I use the eraser, you'll be reborn."

"In doing this, won't our bond be dissolved? In essence, the Death Note will be finished and I'll be dead. You'll have no reason to continue our association."

"We'll make a new bond," Ryuk said. "Besides, I'm curious how your plan to free Misa is going to play out."

Light considered Ryuk's offer for a long moment, but ultimately decided it was worth it. Besides, it was an opportunity of a lifetime. And if it could be helped, he had no immediate plans to relinquish the Death Note or memories of it even when incarcerated.

Light nodded, agreeing to Ryuk's offer. "I'm trusting you to bring me back," he said.

"Of course," Ryuk said. "I told you from day one when it came time for you to die that I would be the one to write your name in my Death Note, and take your remaining lifespan. You writing your own name down negates that. I get nothing. That goes against the very nature of a Shinigami's purpose."

"Very well," Light said. "When do we leave?"

Ryuk reached for his Death Note that hung at his left thigh by a chain. It had a skull and crossbones on the cover. Atypical symbolism of death, Light thought. It was thick, leather bound and heavy. A far cry from the thin, almost academic looking Death Note Light had been using.

The Shinigami opened his own Death Note to a blank page. Unlike Light's Death Note, Ryuk's had no rule lines. And as Light grasped Ryuk's pen, he poised the point over the page having second thoughts. He wasn't ready to die, and especially by suicide. But if this worked and he returned back from death, how godly it would be.

"You must write your name legibly," Ryuk said.

"I know," Light said, as if he had to be told.

Light took one last glance at the Shinagami. Ryuk's typical clown-smirk demeanor was straight-faced which proved to Light that this was not a trick.

Light took a deep breath, released it calmly, then slowly but surely, he wrote his full name down in Ryuk's Death Note.

And as the seconds ticked by, giving way to dotting the last letter of his surname name, Light looked at what he just done. He had literally signed his own death warrant. But he wasn't afraid of death. In fact, he'd consider it an experiment in human behavior.

He was Kira, the human equivalent of a god of death. The least he could do was experience the very nature of what he was delivering unto the world.

Death.

* * *

To be continued.


	15. Visiting the Shinigami Realm

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 14

* * *

Light Yagami's body dropped like a stone landing to the ground with a thud.

Ryuk looked on. The Shinigami was shocked to see Light trusted him so implicitly enough to wager his life on the death note eraser, that it could resurrect him from death.

Light Yagami wasn't gullible, but Ryuk did wager the mental stability of Light. Light was very intelligent, but to seemingly throw his life away on virtually no assurance that Ryuk would honor resurrecting him was actually quite arrogant of Light.

This was Ryuk's best chance to rid himself from Light. The bond between them was broken. He was no longer bound to the human world, watching as Light Yagami altered the landscape of his world to cater to a misguided and childish notion of justice. He had never expressed this opinion to Light, but despite a god of death, Ryuk did have a conscious.

Ryuk had read Light's journals that Light had started writing since childhood and there was nothing he could recall that would opt such a blatant and evil desire to eradicate criminal activity from his world.

Ryuk wondered if Light was psychologically unstable. But what would warrant such a thing? Perhaps just having a god-like power made him snap? For that, Ryuk may have destroyed Light Yagami forever.

There had been two possible futures for Light Yagami; Ryuk had seen what Light's other life could've been, watching it in a miniature orb he had brought him, that showed the many facets of time and space.

All Shinigami carried one. Ryuk tried to see what Light's future held if he carried on with the Death Note and for the first time he couldn't. It was unclear, fogged, as if time itself was unsure and couldn't predict it. Time was not literal, as some thought. It could be bent, changed and manipulated. He wondered if the killings of all those people by the Death Note continuously re-ordered the universe and made time unclear.

Light had already killed an important individual in human history, although Light was unaware of such. If it hadn't been for Ryuk, the world would've entered a new era of peace and prosperity. If Ryuk had just left the human world alone, Light would've lead a mediocre life as an NPA detective. Light would be bored, as he had said he was before finding the Death Note, but life as human beings knew it before would have carried on like normal.

Yet it would be too much trouble to go back and change things, so Light never found the Death Note. It was possible, and Geist, the Shinigami now attached to Demetre Draycott did say he was here to change things...whatever that meant.

But Ryuk had no regrets. He had been bored when he dropped the death note, and Light's escapades into building a utopia free of crime didn't disappoint.

Ryuk didn't have an obligation to Light anymore, but he couldn't just leave him in this state despite the conclusion of their contract. Ryuk didn't want the fun to end just yet.

A ghostly apparition began to emanate from Light's body like a mist; an ethereal version of his bodily self.

For all intensive purposes, Light Yagami was dead. But his soul lived on. And Ryuk could see it, being a god of death.

The mist glowed with a soft angelic white hue as it transformed into Light Yagami, and Ryuk laughed. "Kira the angel!"

"Not funny, Ryuk," Light said, looking at his ghostly form. "Surreal, how this feels; the transparency of it all. At least I've solved one of the mysteries of life: human's do have souls." Light felt his chest. "I felt the heart attack. I never want to feel anything that painful again! When it comes time for you to write my name in your Death Note...do me a favour, be gentle."

Ryuk laughed. "No promises," he said.

"Now, I'm trusting you to use that eraser to resurrect me," Light said. "No games."

Ryuk nodded.

Light looked at his body. He had landed oddly, crippled, folded forward, clutching his chest.

"Ryuk, can you sit me up and lean me against that tree until I return?"

Ryuk did so, gently moving Light's body into a more comfortable position.

"I'm very surprised at you, Light. You're dead and it doesn't faze you at all."

"There's an old saying: 'Death is only the beginning.' For me, with the Death Note and you at my side, I, Kira, will be able to accomplish wonders!"

"Now I understand why your lifespan changed so suddenly a few months back. It could be due to this moment. By finding the Death Note, things were set in motion for this to happen."

"Let's not jump to conclusions, Ryuk. Like you said, people's lifespans change all the time. Once I return, my clock will be restored. I'm not worried."

Ryuk stared above Light's head and his eyes narrowed with confusion. "This is bizarre. You're dead and yet I can still see your lifespan, and its even increased."

"Which proves I still live in some form in my world."

"This has never happened before. Unless space and time has been altered due to the appearance of these other two Shinigami?"

"A third Shinigami, I knew it!" Light exclaimed. "Who is this third Shinigami? Who is he bonded to?"

"I'm not going to tell you."

"Have you two been in contact?"

"Yes. His name is Geist. He's a relatively young Shinigami. Brash and arrogant and blatant to the rules."

Light smirked. "That's interesting. I wondered what I'd call myself if I'd become a Shinigami. I settled on the name Geist, as in ghost or spectre."

Ryuk chuckled, then said, "Ready to go?"

Light smiled. "Absolutely!"

* * *

A dimensional slipstream took them from Light's world and exited to, seemingly, the bottom of a deep well in what seemed moments in Light's perception of time. He had stepped into a blinding light, a rip in space and time created by Ryuk, and the next thing he knew, he was here.

Ryuk explained the Shinigami called it "the gateway", and it was a form of transversing worlds or realms instantaneously. But to Light, it was simple science fiction, now come to reality.

It was thrilling. And he could barely fathom the quantum energies of the slipstream to make such travel possible. Time travel and inter-dimensional travel, it was possible! And he was the first human to ever experience it!

He was truly a god among men!

Before them was a large spiral staircase leading up. Light looked up, followed the spiral, but he couldn't see the top. It seemed to go on forever. He looked around for some other form of travel, an elevator or something else. But then realized how foolish that was. Shiniagmi could fly.

Ryuk lead the way, walking up the stairs instead of flying, and they climbed the lengthily spiral staircase.

Light figured he should've felt tired after ascending even a quarter of the way, but as an ethereal being he didn't feel fatigue, and made it to the top without complaint.

The Shinigami Realm was indeed a wasteland, as Ryuk had described it. A barren world that remained Light of something seen from an old American western movie filled with sand dunes, the bones of dead Shinigami and jagged rock croppings ,all of which cast settled under a dusky, darkened sky,

Light found himself gravely disappointed. Ironically, it was truly a realm of death. And one of in itself a dying world, rotting away with neglect to an inevitable demise. But this was a bit cliché.

And where were all the Shinigami? Other than Ryuk, Light didn't see any. Were they hiding, timid of his presence in their world? Hardly, he concluded. They were most likely observing him from afar.

"Well, we're here. What do you think?" said Ryuk.

Light suppressed a frown. The worse thing he could do was insult Ryuk's world, but he was hoping to see more than a barren wasteland.

"It's...interesting, just as I would have imagined," he said. "Where are the others? You said there are many Shinigami. Can I see them?"

"Not without touching their Death Notes," Ryuk said. "They're here, however. All around. They notice you."

"They can see me, but I can't see them, how annoying," said Light.

In the distance something blinked or reflected with light. It looked like a large black sphere half submerged in the ground.

Light ventured over to it. His eyes widened with excitement when he realized what he'd found.

_This must be one of those time orbs Ryuk had mentioned, _he thought. It showed infinite time: past, present and future. With one of these he could be the most powerful human on earth! Omniscient. A true god!

Misa. Her image popped into his head suddenly. All his troubles were because of her and he wished he could revert time so she never received a Death Note. And if telepathically reading his mind, Misa appeared on the gleaming surface of the sphere, bound and gagged. With Rem at her side.

But this appeared to be the past, and not too long ago. Rem had already demanded Light rescue Misa from L.

Ryuk came to stand beside him, watching the events that had unfolded previously that forced Misa to relinquish her Death Note because she could no longer act as the second Kira.

"...but the love you have for Light will stay," Rem had said to Misa.

"What!" Light exclaimed outraged. "Can Shinigami do that? Erase certain memories, while keeping others in tact?"

Ryuk nodded. "It's not difficult. It just takes a little effort to suppress a portion of a human brain giving that person selective amnesia. That's why when a person relinquishes a Death Note only memory of it and events associated with it are erased. Misa loves you." Ryuk snorted. "I don't know why. You haven't given her any reason you care for her."

"I don't. I despise her."

"I believe you."

"She fell in love with Kira for killing the murderer of her parents. Nothing more. Without that, she'd leave me alone to do my work, and I wish she would. It's not my fault Misa got herself into this mess." He crossed his arms across his chest. "I shouldn't have to sacrifice myself for her!" He grunted annoyed.

"But you promised Rem you would help Misa."

"I said nothing of the sort. I'm being forced to help Misa to save myself. All my troubles really started when Misa entered the fray!"

"You better not let Rem hear that or she'll kill you for sure."

"Then keep that between us. But I stand by the conviction. I know the moment I laid eyes on Misa she would be nothing but trouble. Dumb blonde."

"You did say you were a popular guy." Ryuk chuckled. Light didn't laugh.

Ryuk quickly careened his neck to the left, as if something suddenly caught his eye. Light couldn't see what the Shinigami was looking at, but responded by looking in the same direction Ryuk.

Something was approaching them. Dirt swirled up and around a condensed area like a miniature whirlwind and footprints became embedded in the ground following in its wake. The ground shook beneath Light's feet with every step whatever it was took.

But Light couldn't see it. By Ryuk's reaction, it was obvious he did.

"What is it, Ryuk? What's coming?"

Ryuk gave Light a worried look. Light had never seen Ryuk look so concerned. "Something bad," the Shinigami said, his voice trembling slightly. "I knew I shouldn't have done this. We're in big trouble now."

* * *

To be continued.


	16. Trouble in the Shinigami Realm

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 15

* * *

Tall, hunched over and lanky with wiry skeletal features, wearing a feathery head dress, with a left hook for an left arm, Killogi, as other Shinigami called him, was not a god of death to reckon with, especially when he was in a bad mood. And right now, he was in an exceptionally dreadful mood.

Ryuk felt the evil residing within Killogi, it wasn't hard to miss. The Shinigami was well known within the elite circle of Shinigami that hung around Justin, the first lieutenant to the Shinigami King. If you needed any law detailed out, Justin was the Shinigami to ask.

But Killogi was just pure evil. He was the embodiment of a god of death, showing no mercy to his victims.

In a strange way, Ryuk envied that trait. But Ryuk wasn't heartless like other Shinigami. He had compassion, yet often never showed it for fear of loosing face with the others. It was something others frowned upon, and yet it was what separated him from traditional Shinigami. He could thank his teacher and mentor for that.

Light Yagami was like Killogi, which concerned Ryuk. Ryuk had never met such an uncaring individual as Light Yagami. He showed no mercy in killing. He ruled as Kira by fear. Death was scary to humans, but to live every moment of one 's life fearful of an unseen god who could kill you in an instant was even scarier.

That's what and who Kira was. Kira was pure evil.

Ryuk started to have doubts about the deal he made with Light. Had the human world had enough of his tyranny?

No, he would not renege. After all, he was still bored.

* * *

Curiosity drove him. It had always been Killogi's Achilles heel. And a long time ago, longer than he cared to recall, it had been the reason for his demise; changing into a Shinigami.

Shinigami were not born, they were chosen by others and trained to be god's of death. Based on their personality, each one was different and had a different look.

They also had different methods of murder aside from the Death Note. The Death Note was merely a means to an end to acquire life. Kill someone and gain the rest of their lifespan.

Killogi had taken so many lives, even if he lived to be as old as the Shinigami King now, it would only be a fraction of the time he had of life left. So killing for him was not a necessity.

Nevertheless, murder was a joy to him. Which was probably why he found watching events unfold in the human world interesting with Kira. However, for Ryuk to bring that human here, to the Shinigami world, was blasphemous!

Killogi approached the pair, each step he took was thunderous with contempt and dirt kicked up as he walked.

By the human's bewildered look, it appeared it couldn't see him. But Killogi knew Ryuk could.

Killogi knew he intimidated Ryuk. Every one who saw Killogi was intimidated by both his size and appearance. And he liked it.

Killogi extended his lengthy hook arm at Ryuk when he got close enough. "Why have you violated the sanctity of our realm with this human filth? Humans are for killing. You're a dog to him, you know that!"

"Our laws have nothing against - "

Killogi cut him off with a swipe of his arm, the hook coming dangerously close to cutting Ryuk throat. Shinigami can't kill each other, but they could be harmed by another.

"Justin won't like this! Let the human die! Abandon him!"

"But I agreed to return him to his body after this visit," said Ryuk.

"Who are you talking to, Ryuk?" asked Light. "What's going on?"

"Silence that human!" Killogi demanded. "Or I'll do it for you!" His voiced boomed. "I've found his exploits interesting up to this point, but to bring him here...you subject us all to his filth!"

"There's nothing I can do," Ryuk said. "I am bonded to him. His lifespan shines despite his death. I can't explain it." Light's lifespan shone above his head as if he was still alive. "I'm stuck, as per law!"

"Rules can be broken, as it has been so by Geist revealing all our secrets to his human. The Old Man is very displeased. He's threatened to cut off all Shinigami privileges unless this rebellious attitude from you, Rem and Geist cease."

"That's not my fault," Ryuk defended. "Geist broke the rules, not me or Rem. Or any other Shinigami!"

"The Old Man knows that, but you're a trouble maker and someday your adventures will be your end. The Old Man is aware you've followed the Death Note rules with this human, so he won't pass judgment on you for that."

"Ryuk! I demand to know what's going on!" Light scowled. "Who are you talking to? Another Shinigami?"

Killogi swiped his normal arm in the air creating a strong wind that blew Light backwards. Despite his ethereal form, here, Light had substance and felt it.

Light rolled along the ground and came to a stop some distance away. Getting to his hands and knees, he looked back, blinked, and said, "What the hell was that? Who did that? Ryuk!"

As Light slowly got back to his feet, Ryuk said, "Are you alright, Light?"

Light composed himself and came to stand next to Ryuk once more. He said, "I shall not ask this again. What's going on?"

"There's another Shinigami with us. His name is - "

"Don't tell him my name!" Killogi warned.

"- Killogi. He doesn't like it that you're here."

"Too bad!" Light said unafraid. "Where is he? I want to see him!"

"He's not afraid to demand things, this one," Killogi said. "The other one with Geist who visited before was polite, civil and respectful. This one's not frightened. Leave him with me, I'll show him true horror and fear."

Ryuk didn't reply.

"You didn't tell him what's going to happen after he dies, did you? Won't he be surprised."

"I tried to see his future," Ryuk said quietly to Killogi, leaning in closer so Light wouldn't hear, "but the timeline is not responding. I can't see the future."

Killogi plucked out a miniature black orb (similar to Ryuk's) from a leather pouch, left hip, and gazed into it, telepathically wishing what to see. Nothing showed. "This is bizarre. All facets of time and space can be seen in the orbs. Your human's has no future or it's hidden. This can't be! And yet I can see his lifespan above his head. Something has happened to the space-time continuum."

"I agree," Ryuk said. "Geist. He said he went to the human world to change something. Could his presence have caused this chaos?"

"Three Shinigami in the human world shouldn't be a problem. As long as they stick to their respected handlers and not interfere in the lives of others."

"I demand to know what's going on!" Light shouted. "Shinigami!" (Light addressed Killogi). "Show yourself!"

"Now he's making demands? Squash him already and be done with him! Return him to his body and then take his life span!"

Killogi started to leave. Killogi turned and stomped his feet forward. "I'll speak with Justin about the timeline _glitch_. It should be fixable. How, I don't know."

"Wait!" Ryuk shouted, running over to the disgruntled Shinigami. "You're wrong about this human," he said, remembering what Light once said to him. "He has a vision. He says he can help us make our world better, like it was before it began to die."

"Our world has existed long before the dawn of his species and it has been dying just as long. That human can't help us. Nothing can revitalize our world. He doesn't care about our world. He's the perfect representation of their species: selfish and arrogant."

Killogi turned to Ryuk, pointed a finger at Light. "Take heed, Ryuk, this human is trouble. He's using you for his own gains. You bring shame to all of us by collaborating with him. They all fall from grace. This one is just falling sooner than the rest."

Killogi then turned and left without saying another word.

* * *

Ryuk watched Killogi meander away, then turned to Light. Light had his arms crossed across his chest and a scowl on his face. "He's gone," Ryuk said. "He dislikes you, but he can't kill you. Not as long as our bond still stands."

Light's eyes narrowed. "I'm dead, so to speak. How can our bond still be resolute?"

"I can see your lifespan and technically you're still in possession of the Death Note; you never relinquished it, just buried it. As long as you and I are bonded, another Shinigami can't kill you."

"That's reassuring," Light said, looking around the barren landscape. He still didn't see any Shinigami, but he did feel like he was being watched. As if eyes were peering at him in plain sight, for which he couldn't see them. "You already told me I'm yours to kill and you don't plan on doing so for a long while, so I'm not worried. Kira will make a momentum impact before that."

Ryuk nodded.

He'd have to look into the timeline _glitch _at another time, Ryuk decided. If need be, he would have to travel into the past and reset things to before Light Yagami picked up the Death Note and see if that fixed the problem. If it was possible? But he wondered if Geist's appearance was causing it.

Something about Geist bothered Ryuk, but he didn't know what it was. Something about Geist actually reminded him of Light, if Light was to become a Shiniagmi. His sour, aggressive personality, that arrogant over-confidence, even his mannerisms.

"_I'm here to change things,_" Geist had said.

What did Geist mean by that? What did he have in mind? And was he doing it already? And many other questions.

Only the universe knew the answer to all.

* * *

Tbc


	17. Plans to save Misa Amane

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 16

* * *

L watched Misa Amane via video surveillance. The girl was bound and blind-folded, tied to a upright medical table in a secluded location.

She had been taken under suspicion of being the "Second Kira", and L thought this method was the best way to interrogate her, hoping she would expose Light Yagami as the original Kira. L still didn't know how Light killed, only that the Kira case was the most unusual one he had ever undertaken.

There was a supernatural force at play, hinted at the mention of "Shinigami" in one of Misa Amane's Kira videos that she send to the Sakura TV station. A Shinigami was a "god of death", but in what capacity and for what reason had this supernatural being chosen to league itself with Light and Misa still baffled him.

He needed to gather more information, but interrogating Misa in the last little while was proving fruitless. And she was very talkative. She had lost that resolve she first had. In fact, Misa Amane wouldn't shut-up.

Something had changed in her. Misa seemed clueless now, and a hostage who believed she had been kidnapped by a radical fan.

"_Pervert!_" she had called L.

Misa had not broken during a vigorous interrogation with drugs and other devices Watari used on her before to reveal what L wanted to know about Kira. But Misa wouldn't be silenced now, otherwise, about everything else other than what L wanted to know, and he kept the mute button on to the audio in her cell. Her whinny voice annoyed him. She cried out to be free.

But L couldn't free her. From the time L had kidnapped Misa to now, she had shown him what could only constitute as double-personality disorder, and he wanted to know why.

A week earlier, the day Misa was kidnapped from the To-Oh university campus, L had a separate issue to deal with. One where if it wasn't immediately defused could escalate into a full blown media frenzy.

A student at the university - Demetre Draycott - witnessed the kidnapping of Misa, so L had to take action and he asked to speak to Demetre about what he saw, driving him around in the limo that L always rode in.

They talked at length, and he learned that Demetre and Light were childhood friends, and thorough a series of conservative but rigorous questions, L was satisfied Demetre didn't know anything about Light being Kira. Or about Misa.

L didn't reveal who he was, only that he was involved in a highly delicate situation involving Misa Amane, which Demetre seemed to believe. That the kidnapping was staged to ward off a fanatic who may have been stalking Misa because of her celebrity status.

_Too easy_, L thought afterwards. But he was always suspicious of people, analyzing their everything to see if they were hiding something. Demetre Draycott seemed innocent, and was unaware of Light's melodious activities.

"Are you L?" Demetre had asked.

L figured Demetre would wonder. Demetre didn't appear to be the dense type. In the time L spoke with him, Watari managed to find out Demetre's family history as he chauffeured them around, and it revealed Demetre was the son of an NPA detective.

Just like Light Yagami.

While it could've been merely a coincidence, Light and Demetre's backgrounds and schooling where almost identical, and both wished to follow in their father's career path and join the NPA, making Demetre a curious suspect for Kira, if L hadn't already concluded Light was Kira.

"No, I'm not L," he lied. "Just a concerned citizen...who has taken it upon himself to safeguard a personal financial asset. I produce all of Misa Amane's movies."

Demetre appeared impressed, and rolled off a few movie titles. Some of Misa's most renown. And L knew them all, being a fan of Misa's work. Now, knowing she was in league with Light, vowed to never to watch any of her movies again. But how such a beautiful young woman acquired a god-like power to kill was still beyond L.

The whole Kira case had so many unanswered questions that his mind couldn't wrap itself around it. The Kira case was unlike anything he had cased, like some kind of movie plot.

But there was also some excitement. If Shinigami were involved, it would mean that a whole different aspect of life existed, that he could seek out, within a dimensional realm just out of human perception that somehow Light and Misa have tapped into. And L wanted to know how to access this realm. He wanted to know all about it.

L had released Demetre back onto the To-Oh university campus grounds after a few more questions, and then returned back to his hotel. The entire discussion took less than an hour.

So far, Misa hadn't said anything about Shinigami or god's of death, but she did have an usual devotion to her "boyfriend" Light.

"He'll come for me," Misa kept saying. "Light will save me from you, you sick pervert!"

And L hoped Light would do exactly that. He wanted Light to come to him. If Light cared for Misa, or wanted her silenced so she couldn't reveal his secret, he'd have to come to L either way. For as long as L had Misa, Light was endangered of being exposed.

_IF _he was Kira.

But most serial killers were psychopaths or sociopaths, and they cared about nothing and no one but themselves. If Misa had said something revealing Light's secret, Light would've known by now because he would either be arrested or held for questioning. So far, Light had evaded capture.

But how long would Light's patience last? Even psychopath's or sociopath's got nervous. And to eliminate a threat or silence one to him was beyond incentive.

L plunged a spoon into a chocolate sundae Watari had brought him, took a scoop and ate it, and continued to watch the monitors displayed throughout his hotel room. He watched Misa, and old footage of Ray Penber to see if he could pick anyone suspicious out of the crowd at the train station on he day of the FBI agent's death. So far, nothing.

The taskforce would be arriving soon, and he still wasn't any further along with the Kira case than he was yesterday.

It was frustrating. Despite certain he had the "Second Kira", so many questions still remained unanswered.

And how did Kira killed topped them.

* * *

Light was greatly disappointed in the Shinigami realm.

When he first imagined Ryuk's world, Light thought of it something akin to Hell. But after he and Ryuk had spent hours exploring the barren world, things and places were beginning to mirror themselves.

One sand dune began to look like the next, bones of dead Shinigami littered the landscape, and the sky never changed from its smokey, dusky grey. It was a place of misery and decay, something Light never would've thought he'd see here.

Light could spend as much time as he wanted here and no time in his world would pass, but he decided against going any further. "I've seen enough," he said. "Let's go."

"You seem unimpressed," Ryuk said.

"Quite frankly, and not to be insulting, Ryuk, I was expecting, for the lack of a better word, this place to more lively. The stigma of death is truly seen, but if I had to exist here, I'd do exactly what you did, toss my Death Note to the human world for some entertainment."

"Now you know why I won't betray you, Light," said Ryuk. "I will resurrect you with the eraser."

"I never doubted you."

"Killogi told me to separate myself from you and to let you just die."

"I see. I'm afraid your brethren see me more as a heel than a saviour. The atmosphere in your world is thick with negativity. I can feel it." Light mentally shivered despite not feeling cold. "Once I save my world, I'll help you bring yours back to life."

Ryuk cocked his head slightly. "That would be interesting to see," he said. "But I doubt you'd get any help from the Shinigami. Most Shinigami feint interest in pretty much everything."

"Yes, you've told me. After seeing this place, if people knew the truth about death, where their soul really goes (seeing as there is no Heaven nor Hell, as religious groups would have you to believe), my world would be a much more peaceful place."

"How so?"

"People would take joy in their lives instead of wasting what little time they have. It's people with melodious intentions that commit evil acts that spoil it for the rest. That's who I'm trying to eliminate with the Death Note. I don't understand why certain people like L don't get that simple concept!"

"Murder is evil according to your laws," Ryuk said simply.

"So is doing nothing and letting evil exist. Someone who sits around and complains about the world and doesn't make an effect to make a change for the better is in a way just as guilty as a person who commits a criminal act in my mind."

Ryuk chuckled.

"What's so funny?"

"Do you plan on killing off two-thirds of the population of your planet?"

Light's brow furrowed. "Don't be ridiculous! But I get your meaning. The world is filled with people who commit small illegal acts, but I'm only going after the harden criminals, those who see it's justified to commit such acts and who hurt others for personal gain."

"Some would say Kira is pure evil."

Light was unfazed by the comment. "People like L, I would think. L's sympathizers can think what they want, but they'll thank me one day."

Ryuk chuckled again.

"What do you find funny now?"

"Think about it Light, you'll never be done. People like you are never satisfied."

Light smirked. "True." Then Light's eyes narrowed suspiciously. "Are you finally voicing an opinion about how I'm using the Death Note?"

"I'm a god death, death fills my existence."

"And yet since we've bonded with the Death Note, you haven't made one kill with your own, at least to my knowledge."

Ryuk didn't immediately respond and looked away gazing across the landscape towards the horizon for a moment.

"Death fills my existence," he repeated. "I'm with you to watch what you do with the Death Note. What I do is not your concern. But remember, you name will be written in my Death Note by me before I leave."

"Yes, as you've told me. But I have so much more to do and I'm too young to die. So let's leave your world and return to mine. I believe I've finalized my plan that I'll feed to L to convince him that I'm not Kira."

"You really think revealing to L the truth will convince him you're not Kira?"

"Doubt is the essence of innocence, Ryuk. Every prosecutor who attempts to convince a jury that someone is guilty has this as their worse enemy. And telling L exactly what he thinks he believes will confound him and the taskforce. That will play in my favor to free Misa. Everything will work out. Trust me. It's fool proof."

"Says the fool," Ryuk muttered under his breath.

But Light heard it. "What was that?"

"Ah, nothing."

* * *

Light opened his eyes and took a deep breath. Just as Ryuk had said he would, the Shinigmai erased Light's name with the eraser from his Death Note.

Light just caught a glimpse of the eraser as it slowly faded out of existence in Ryuk's hand.

Light rubbed his throat as it felt dry. A temporary lack of oxygen going through this throat made it hoarse. Even the act of holding one's breath for a minute under water had the same affect. And he took several smaller breaths before speaking.

"Thank you, Ryuk. You're my saviour."

And Ryuk chuckled.

* * *

Light went home and dressed in suitable attire, then called his father. And then went to L's hotel. Because Light had consulted with L on the Kira case, and pretended to be Kira in order to communicate with the second Kira via video messages through Sakura TV a few times, he knew where L was staying, or had moved to. L moved from hotel to hotel.

And here, he followed through on his plan, acting innocent, pretending to feint guilt, suffering from a double personality, that he may be Kira.

His father was obviously shocked, but that played to Light's scheme. L didn't buy it at first, nothing Light did under secret surveillance pointed to double personality disorder.

Light figured L would think this was all too convenient, considering Misa Amane was being held, that she was the "Second Kira".

But L had no choice. And Light was handcuffed, blind-folded and taken to a secret location, which by walking length alone, Light determined was another room in the hotel, converted to be a cell. Or a room with no windows. There was a cot and one video camera pointed down at him that would be watching his every move 24/7.

However, despite no way to escape, the handcuffs were left on, and his feet were bound. The blind-fold was taken off.

He had nothing to do but wait now.

His only company was Ryuk who sat in the corner of the room.

"No people, no apples, you can't talk to me - this is already boring!" Ryuk said.

Light scowled.

_If only I asked for earplugs._

Everything demanded sacrifices, Light knew, and this was but one of many of a series of roadblocks he'd have to face in order for his perfect world to rise.

Just how long for his innocence to be proven all depended on L.

* * *

To be continued.


	18. Demetre tortured

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 17

* * *

Demetre Draycott slowly emerged from an unconscious state and found himself in total darkness.

He was laying on the cold floor that felt like marble. His hands were handcuffed behind him and his legs were bound. And the reason for his blindness was because he was blindfolded.

He felt groggy, but his mind was starting to remember things. Like how he had been drugged and kidnapped by at least three masked assailants in the middle of the night in his bedroom. Chloroform had been put over his mouth. He awakened suddenly only to pass out. Then he was brought here, wherever here was.

"Demetre, are you awake?" asked Geist in a low tone.

"Yes," replied Demetre. "Where am I?"

"It appears to be an underground lair of sorts. The walls are made of old stone work and the floor is a stoney grey colour. The room is empty of amenities. Three men drugged you and brought you here. You've been unconscious for almost twelve hours."

"Need I have to ask you why you didn't stop them?"

"You know the reason. If I saved you by writing their names in my Death Note, I would've died. If I intervened, I would risk exposure. I will not do either."

"I understand."

"But that isn't to say I haven't watched out for your well-being."

"I appreciate that, for what it's worth. Can you free me?"

"No. It's strange. In this place, I have no physical substance. I am prevented from touching anything much like a spectre."

"Where's my Death Note?"

"They took it from your room last night. They appeared to know exactly what they were doing and what they were looking for and where to find it."

"You must have seen where they brought me?"

"Underneath a large mansion in a heavily wooded area...that's all I know. It was too dark to see any surroundings. And the three assailants disappeared as soon as they deposited you here." There a short pause. "The room is small like one of prison's standard jail cells. There is a metal door immediately to your right from where you lie. There is a dim light in the ceiling. You are blindfolded and handcuffed with a long chain attached to the wall. Your legs are bound."

"My trappings I've surmised," Demetre said. "Can you investigate? Find out what's outside this room?"

"No. There is a strong spiritual barrier that prevents me from leaving. There is ancient script of an unknown origin carved into every wall, the floor and ceiling, and on the door. I've heard of this before. This is to keep ethereal beings trapped. Someone here knows how to neutralize a Shinigami's power."

"Then whoever did this has a strict purpose," said Demetre. "If they took my Death Note, which I had hidden in my room, and a barrier surrounds this room, which prevents you from leaving and touching anything, reason dictates, whoever these people are, they know about the Death Note and the power of a Shinigami."

"That would stand to reason," said Geist. "But how can these people know about us? You don't advertise yourself, not like Kira."

"What's stopping other people from having knowledge about the Death Note and Shinigami? We assume we only know."

"There have been people in the past that Shinigami have bonded with, but the last contact with the human world by a Shinigami was hundreds of years ago," Geist said.

"That you know of, Geist. Things change. Now there are three in the human world at this moment that we know of. You, Rem and Ryuk. You only saw three men?" asked Demetre.

"Yes."

"And if you write any of their names in your Death Note, you will die?"

"Yes. But I never saw their faces, so it's a moot point."

"I agree. Clever." Demetre mused. "Then all we can do is wait."

"Aren't you frightened?"

"No," said Demetre. "I've been brought here for a purpose. You're at my side, and they can't kill me without it violating our bond. And if I perchance do die, they know you will kill them. There won't be anything to stop you."

"That's correct." Geist snorted amused. "You're very smart. I never thought of that. If they kill you, I can kill them, once I see their faces. But this spiritual barrier around this room concerns me."

"Can you touch your own Death Note? I know you told me the one I found is a secondary one you had, like Ryuk, you stole it off another Shinigami."

There was a momentary quiet, then Geist said, "No, I can't even remove my Death Note from its pouch. My hand goes through my own body!"

"I was afraid of that." Demetre sighed. "Looks like these people have been thorough in their research."

"When I get free, I will kill whoever is responsible for this! No one does this to a god of death!"

"Control your emotions, Geist. They're only drive you crazy. We must try to keep a level head about all this."

"I can't believe you can be so calm."

"Being calm is key to defining the line between intelligence and stupidity. There's nothing we can do, so why waste unnecessary energy or attempt something we might regret?"

"I don't understand you humans. How can some of you be so different than other's of your species? Most humans would panic in this situation."

"Three things: good breeding, experience and common sense," Demetre said. "These are the main personality traits that make up the perfect human being."

"And you have all three?"

"Hardly. No human being has all three, so intelligence fills in the deviation."

"But not all humans are as intelligent as you are," said Geist.

"Yes. And intelligence has always taken a back seat to mindless celebrity popularity. We wallow away our existence hoping to acquire a kind of perfection in our chosen fields, but intelligent people are never satisfied with the end results."

"You and Light Yagami both have high I.Q.'s, and yet you each merely want to follow in your parent's footsteps and become police men. You can be so much more."

Demetre smiled. "Why, thank you, Geist. I appreciate those kind words. But there is a major difference between Light and I."

"And that is?"

"I'm smarter."

* * *

Demetre had lay on the floor imprisoned awake for what felt like hours with only Geist as company. His body was cold and cramps began to enter his muscles for lack of movement.

But while Geist griped about the situation, Demetre kept a positive mind.

"This is so boring!" Geist protested. "They dare do this to a god of death? I'll kill them all!"

"Relax Geist," Demetre said in a calm voice, trying to sooth the Shinigami for the umpteen time. "Patience."

Demetre was also bored, but he kept his mind occupied by mentally solving difficult quadratic equations and reciting pi to the nearest integer. But Geist's bitching made it difficult to concentrate.

There was a single beep (an electronic keypad activation?) and Demetre heard the sound of metal scrapping against the floor, shrieking a door opened.

Demetre gritted his teeth. The sound hurt his ears. He had always had exceptional hearing and the decibel level of the door was almost enough to deafen his ears.

Finally the door came to a stop and Demetre released a breath he unconsciously didn't know he was holding because of the sound. He suddenly heard heavy footfalls that were made from someone wearing leather boots. But only one set.

One person.

"Who are you?" Demetre demanded. "Why have you done this to me?"

"He's masked," Geist revealed. "And he's carrying your Death Note."

"Shut your Shinigami up!" The man spoke harshly, and then kicked Demetre in the stomach.

Demetre folded in from the impact, cringed and cried out from the pain. He coughed, winded. The man had caught him dead centre in the abdomen. It was a hard kick.

"Did L put you up to this? Is this his way of interrogating people he thinks have a connection to Kira?"

There was a momentary silence. But quickly Demetre's chin was grabbed and his head was yanked up, forcing him on his knees in a very uncomfortable and awkward position, with his body twisted like an S.

"And what do you know about L?"

Demetre didn't answer. Someone who Demetre suspected was L, Ryuga Hideki, had asked him a lot of questions about Misa Amane and even Kira. But Demetre feinted innocence and fooled L saying he knew nothing about them, only what he heard from TV, (or at least he thought he fooled L). He did reveal that he and Light Yagami were childhood friends, but why hide that? If L was the great detective everyone claimed, that information would soon be brought to light. It didn't seem to matter, however.

Or did it? Demetre's would be torturer obviously feared him, incapacitating him to the point he was helpless. And the reason for the blindfold was now clear. Demetre had the Shinigami Eyes, and if he saw the man's name, he might see him again and see his face. And kill him, writing his name in the Death Note.

But the man's attempt to hide his face was fruitless, because Geist could see his name. Geist wasn't blindfolded. So blindfolding Demetre was useless. But of course he wasn't about to reveal that. But without a face, a name was useless.

"Geist can say whatever he wants!" said Demetre defiantly. "You can't harm a god of death!"

The man laughed. "True. But I can hurt you." And he struck Demetre across the face with the back of a hand forcing Demetre to recoil oddly and tip over.

Demetre hit the ground hard, hitting the side of his head enough impact to knock anyone unconscious. Demetre's head swirled, but he didn't black out.

After a momentary feeling of dizziness, Demetre suddenly laughed. "You're pathetic," he said.

"What did you say?" the man said.

"You just confirmed a suspicion I've been wallowing over." Demetre's head throbbed, but he inched himself to a sitting position. "Even before Kira arrived to surmount his justice on the criminals of the world, rumours have been circulating about secret societies, like the Free Masons in America, who contrive political agendas to control governments and associative ventures. And people are saying Japan it has its own secret society, one that even the Yukaza is excluded from."

The man seemed quiet for a moment. "Rumours and internet conspiracy, nothing more," he said. "Don't believe everything you read or hear."

Demetre had compiled information on a lot of secret societies and cults while researching a sociology paper for high school three years ago. From the evidence, he formulated a very believable thesis and argument that got him a perfect paper.

One society intrigued the most, however, and it seemed to fit what the situation entitled. The man could see Geist and held the Death Note.

"The information is obscure, but the society I'm thinking of worship Shinigami, god's of death." He smirked. "Ever heard of them? They're called the Savate Society. A man named Joseph Savate created the society when he supposedly spoke to a Shinigami that had a book of death about a hundred years ago. Or at least that's what rumours on the internet say."

The man snorted angrily, Demetre could hear. "You know kid, you talk too much. Sometimes a person can be too smart for their own good."

"Why am I here?" Demetre finally asked.

But Demetre didn't get answer. He heard the man reach into his clothes for something.

"Demetre, watch out!" he heard Geist shout.

But before he could react, the man plugged a needle into the back of Demetre's neck and injected something.

The effects were almost instantaneous and it made Demetre drowsy. Unable to fight it, he collapsed to the floor.

Darkness soon taking him.

But before it did, he heard the faint voice of Geist shout out his torturer's name:

_Zurn Wellington_.

* * *

To be continued.


	19. Conjecture and Suppositions

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 18

* * *

Light had only been incarcerated for three days but already he was feeling irritated and annoyed.

He was the type of person who couldn't sit still for long, he always needed to be doing something. There was only so much thinking he could do before he needed to do something physical.

Studying for exams he could handle, but doing nothing but sitting on his ass while the world passed by (and so many criminals committing illegal acts) in this cell was enough to make him go insidiously angry.

The only contact Light had was with Ryuk mouthing off about anything he felt like saying, (the Shinigami stayed in the makeshift cell with Light). And then there was L's disembodied voice reverberating through a speaker in the side of the video camera pointed straight at Light, asking questions to him about Kira, hoping Light would slip up and reveal something important. Questions Light feinted innocence about.

Being imprisoned made Light hate Misa with a passion. That over-zealous, obsessive compulsive, stupid girl was one of the most incompetent people he had ever come to know. She was the embodiment of idiocy. Why that Shinigami Gelus chose to save her life was beyond him.

And for a brief but fleeting moment, Light regretted even possessing the Death Note…for even meeting Misa!

His aspirations of following in his father's footsteps and becoming a cop seemed out of reach as long as he was accused of being Kira or associated with her.

Being with her even depressed him to the point he felt his IQ points dropped.

But looking back, it had been an amazing year of accomplishments for Kira. Given a few days, it was coming up on the first anniversary that Light had picked up the Death Note and used it. He had written down many names, killed a lot of criminals, and changed the world for the better. He could recall everything he had gone through and smile.

The entire world was becoming a better place and crime was down 80%. People were starting to feel safe walking down the street late at night again, because everyone knew Kira was watching.

Then why was he being treated like a criminal?

People can be frightened of change, Light concluded.

People like to feel secure in their own little bubbles, living day after day knowing life will go on as normal, ignorant in a belief that they're in control. Whereas, everyone is a slave to another, whether it be an employer, a parent, or just in general to someone's needs.

The belief in freedom was a ridiculous notion, Light believed. Laws prevent such freedom to flourish and society dictates social normalcy. So no matter what people think, no one is free. Freedom of expression, freedom of choice, freedom of religion. As long as it doesn't stand in direct conflict with standard government ideals, people are free to be ignorant in their beliefs. But when freedom crosses that imaginary line set by political agenda, that's when it gets crushed.

Kira was the world's freedom from tyranny, crime and illicit comradery. This was Light's belief from day one.

When he first picked up the Death Note in his senior year in high school, it read like a joke. Like one of those chain letters that cursed the person who didn't pass it on and fulfilled its task.

He put it down. But then picked it back up, and read it, curious of its contents.

_The name of a person written in this book shall die…_

These were the first words he read, and after forty seconds they died from a heart attack (if nothing else was written, which later he learned he could do; manipulate, even control events up to a victim's death.)

He didn't believe it at first, but after trying it on a man seen on a live news broadcast who was holding a bunch of children hostage at a school, and then on the leader of an motorcycle biker gang who were about to rape some school girl on the street...

He knew he had something special.

Then the notion hit him: Change the world, bring peace to it by eliminating crime. So he decided to kill criminals around the world who had committed atrocious crimes by writing their names in the Death Note.

When Ryuk first appeared to him in his room, Light had already written at least five pages of names. The Shinigami was impressed. They struck a bond, and together Light continued his plight to rid humanity of the criminal element.

That's until L came onto the scene and smoked out Kira with a live TV broadcast pretending to be himself but using a criminal in his place for which Light killed, locating Kira in Japan. Since then, each of them - Kira and L - had been at odds with the other. And then the Kira taskforce was founded headed up by, ironically enough, Light's father.

Despite that, Light managed to stay one step ahead of L.

All until Misa joined the fray. Not only did she screw up his plans, but she managed to get captured, forcing him, by threat of death by Rem, her Shinigami, to rescue her from L. Which was why he faced his present predication.

The names Light wrote down in the Death Note with a post date stamp would start dying on schedule just as he had written them down weeks hence.

"What if I'm incapacitated, hospitalized or unable to write down names?" Light had to said Ryuk who asked why Light was writing names to dates in the future months back, even before he had met Misa. "This way Kira will still kill and I need not be present."

And hopefully, Light thought, when this started to happen, it would throw doubt into L's hypothesis that he was Kira.

There was also that little job he had asked Rem to do, too.

Find a suitable interim to write down names in Misa's Death Note. This would secure he and Misa's release, seeing Kira was elsewhere and still killing.

How can Kira be in two places at once?

This was Light's plan.

It was a big risk, but one he really had no choice in making. Or Rem would kill him.

Sitting on his cell floor with his hands handcuffed behind his back and his ankles bound in front, Light scowled.

"How long do you think L is going to keep you here?" Ryuk asked.

Obviously Light couldn't answer. How would he know anyway.

The end justified the means, Light thought, and he would keep his resolve despite frustration setting in. He had voluntarily given up his civil rights to play to L's notion that he was Kira, only to hopefully prove the opposite, to make the genius detective look like a fool.

Light knew he was smarter than L, in so many ways.

L could question him all he liked, but nothing Light said or did would reveal he was Kira. And Misa was a dead end, so it was nothing now but a waiting game.

Only Light knew the truth about Kira and where he got his power, and he wasn't about to reveal anything to make himself look guilty.

* * *

L watched Light Yagami via video surveillance as he crouched on a couch in his hotel room in front of a series of TV monitors hooked into an encrypted computer network.

He sighed, slightly frustrated and also depressed about how things were going. He never expected or wanted this to happen.

The Kira case was the most taxing case he had ever taken on in his career.

Light Yagami was an intelligent young man. If he was Kira, what prompted this sudden sadistic behavior to kill? It was the sort of question all profiler's wondered of serial killers. That's what investigators were for, to find out. But all the investigators he sent out were killed by Kira, and the FBI weren't about to give him more.

Nothing in Light's past would explain such animosity towards criminals. Normally there was cause in a person's past, methodically reasoning why. But with Light, nothing was present.

Or was the lure of a god-like power too much for Light Yagami to ignore when faced with a Shinigami? Like a genie in a bottle?

L's profile of Kira fit Light perfectly. But there was still something missing. A piece of the puzzle L needed to fully understand Kira himself.

Light's father had insisted that he be temporarily removed from the Kira case because he was too personally involved.

But an alternative was met. L still wanted Soichiro Yagami's insight on Kira and also if L had any questions about Light to fill in certain gaps that would coalesce both Kira and Light as one entity.

There was definitely a double persona happening when it came Light, but only to the fact that he had been lured by unimaginable power and not because he had developed a split personality, as was his excuse when he turned himself in. L wasn't buying that.

L watched Soichiro on a separate TV monitor via video surveillance in a similar "cell" like his son. The middle aged man sat slumped over on a cot, waiting, tired, hoping L would clear his son's name of being Kira. It was, in a way, a sit-in protest. That Soichiro would not abandon his son in his darkest time.

That's not what a parent did.

L had Watari. He was L's father. L's biological parents left him at a young age for whatever reason.

But now was not the time to dwell on the past, L decided, and he put it out of mind.

L felt sorry for Soichiro Yagami. One of the worse feelings in the world is for your only son to be accused of being the world's worse serial killer in history.

How Light - Kira - killed still eluded L, but by incarcerating his two prime suspects, he might finally be able to put this case to rest. All he needed was a break in the case. One clue to point to either Light or Misa, that either one or both, were the Kira's that he sought, and learn the method in how they killed. And stop the killing.

Evidence.

All he needed was solid evidence.

Right now, his theories were nothing more than supposition and conjecture. His credibility had convinced the taskforce to follow him on the faith that L was right. But he wondered just how long the taskforce would continue to follow him just on that faith.

His instinct told him he had his killers; he was staring at them on the monitors. Misa bound and blindfolded and Light handcuffed and feet bound.

Light was staring right at the camera, as if he could see straight to L. There was a resolve in his eyes, a determination that he would not relent in his plight. But neither would L. He'd keep both his suspects here as long as he deemed fit.

Light Yagami was Kira.

Now, how to prove it conclusively.

* * *

"Where's Light again? I need him to help me with my homework," Sayu Yagami said to her mother, entering the living room.

Her mother was sitting in a lazy chair reading a novel.

Sachiko Yagami looked up. "Sorry dear, but he and your father are on a sabbatical, remember? They do this every year to help Light qualify for the police academy sooner."

Sayu sighed, remembering.

"Your father collected clothes for him and Light a few days ago. I'm afraid you'll have to do your own math exercises for while."

Sayu frowned. "But Light's the only who understands advanced calculus. I don't have a clue!"

"Then why did you take the course?"

"I thought it would help me get into a better university when I'm older, like Light."

"Sayu, you shouldn't compare yourself to your brother. You're both good at different things."

"But he's so smart! How does a person become such a genius in everything?"

"He's not a genius in everything. No one's good at everything."

"He is." Sayu pouted. "Math, literature, geography, political science - you name it, he knows everything about it!"

"Are you jealous of your brother, Sayu."

"Well, maybe a little."

"Don't be, Sayu. Everyone comes into their own eventually. Your brother just peaked early. He always had his nose in a book when he was younger." Sachiko smiled recalling some of the times she found Light at a young age always reading something. "And he knew exactly what he wanted to be when he grew up. He always used to say, if you have a career goal, everything else is a distraction."

"I don't know what I want to be when I grow up."

"You like history, why not be a teacher?"

"I'm too young to make career decisions right now."

Sachiko earmarked her page and then closed her book. "Let me give you some motherly advise. I told this to Light as well when he was your age. Enjoy your youth and don't take things too seriously. Evaluate your options. Don't just spring into something and hope things will turn out okay. But above all, follow your dreams. And don't let anyone tell you you're wrong. Do what your heart tells you."

Sayu nodded. "I still wish Light was here. Calculus is hard."

"I'm sorry, dear. You'll have to figure it out on your own. I'm not good at it. Light will be missing school because of this, Sayu. He's taking steps to ensure he gets accepted into the police academy. He wants to be successful in pursuit of his goals."

"Light's brilliant. He got a perfect score on his university entrance exams. Missing a little school is nothing to him. But I do miss him. It's lonely without Light and Dad."

"I miss them too, dear," her mother agreed.

* * *

To be continued.


	20. The Savant Society and Dana Chika

DEATH NOTE – THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR – CHAPTER 19

* * *

Demetre regained consciousness from his forcefully induced chemical slumber, but he was no longer subdued. He was free to move about his cell and sat up on the marble floor.

He rubbed his wrists where the handcuffs had chafed his skin and looked around. The room was exactly how Geist described it and how Demetre imagined it - cold and without amenities. Not even a cot. And the ceiling lights was so dim that it strained his eyes just to see.

They had kidnapped him in the middle of the night and brought him here. His parents must be worried, or maybe not? He often left for university early and came home late, so he rarely got to see his parents. So would they really miss him?

Clothes were folded neatly in the corner of the room and he went over and dressed. These were _his_ clothes, a pair of white trousers and a dark long-sleeve V-neck shirt. He had been wearing only his jockey's underwear in bed when they nabbed him.

He removed his chain and crucifix from under his shirt and brought it out front. He kissed it once and then let it drop to his chest. It gave him strength to know that wherever he was, he was never alone. That God, the Almighty Lord, was with him, to watch over and protect him from harm.

Light thought Demetre's faith was delusional. He pretty much thought all religion was foolhardy.

"While religion has its historical value, the notion of there be a god or gods is nothing but a figment of the imagination to explain the unknown," he had said in a sociology debate in class in high school. "There is no proof that such a being or beings exist and can exist in the realm of true reality."

The debate topic was on the cultural significance and the existence of religion on society. Light had con, while another student had pro. Light won the debate easily by stating a concise argument with facts and presenting articles and books of interest agreeing with him. He delivered his points without allowing personal opinion to cloud the issues. He was a master debater, or rather a master manipulator. It wasn't what he said, but how he said it. And even though he may've been wrong on occasion, he always expressed himself with confidence that convinced others of his point of view.

Light was a pragmatist. He always evaluated things by his five senses. Everything else, to him, was meaningless. Suffice it to say, he wasn't a spiritual person.

Ironic now how Light believed he was a god with the Death Note, or rather a god of death with the Death Note.

And speaking of god's of death...

Demetre looked around his cell. "Geist? Where are you?" he called out. But the Shinigami didn't answer. "Geist!" he called out again.

A sharp beep sounded. Someone had activated the electronic lock on the door to his cell.

The door opened, and an individual dressed in a long dark robe hooded over their head and masking their face stood at the threshold. This person was Demetre's height, approximately 5'11. But whether male or female, he couldn't tell.

"Who are you?" Demetre demanded.

The individual merely turned and walked away keeping the door open.

Demetre took the opportunity to leave his cell and saw the dark robe stranger walking down a long non-descriptive corridor. At a junction, the person stopped, turned to him, and gestured to the right, as if wanting him to follow.

Wanting answers, he did, and the individual lead him to a set of double doors carved from oak hinged with iron. The doors were tall, reaching to the ceiling, and were exceptionally wide.

The individual reached for one of two iron ring door handles and pulled one door open revealing a spacious room.

Demetre was lead inside and was greeted to an aghast sight. It was an alter room with a large rectangular stone alter at its centre surrounded by a low thin ring of fire. The fire appeared self-sustaining, remaining at an low even height, approximately one foot around its circumference.

The floor was made of white marble and on the walls were tall long banners of both current and ancient civilizations, most of which he recognized and one or two he didn't. One of the banners branded the Swastika, the symbol of Nazi Germany from the Second World War, first adopted by the Nazi Party in 1920.

Most people associate the Swastika with hatred and bloodshed and Adolf Hitler, but very few people know the truth behind it, that is was originally a peace symbol from the Indus Valley Civilization that resided between 3300-1300 BCE, located in now modern-day Pakistan and northwest India.

All in all, there were nearly fifty banners covering the walls. All dark red with their symbols in black, reciting cultures from the dawn of civilization to the so-called modern mega powers of the East and West.

The spacious room was a perfect circle from what Demetre could see and completely enclosed. The double doors were the only way in or out. And other than the ring of fire, the room was lit by torch light, which gave it a medieval feel, with shadows dancing like spectres along the walls. Vents and fans situated in strategic places allowed for airflow to rid smoke from the fire.

The room was warm, but had a certain coldness he couldn't explain. Perhaps it was the atmosphere of it all that was sending an eerie chill down his spine.

He looked at the dark robed stranger as the individual stood close to the ring of fire cast in shadow.

Was this his torturer from before now masking his entire body and not just his face? No, something about this stranger was more timid, Demetre gathered. Zurn Willington was taller. He knew this in recalling the distance of his voice when he spoke down from a more elongated height. And the harsh tone of the man's voice also indicated a broader chest for lung capacity. This person was more petite. In fact, the robe followed the figure of a woman. How come he had not noticed this before?

"I can tell you're analyzing the situation, Demetre," a female voice said. "You always did that when you were faced with the unknown when we were children."

Demetre narrowed his gaze.

_That voice... No, it couldn't be..._

Instead of speaking his immediate thought, he stayed analytical and asked, "Would you care to explain why I'm here and what this place is?"

The stranger pulled back the hood of the robe to reveal the face of a beautifully striking woman with long flowing auburn hair. She had sparkling blue eyes and a trim neck.

A large grin broadened Demetre's face and for a moment her presence made him speechless.

"Dana," he said happily. It was Dana Chika, the girl he secretly had a crush on while she was dating Light Yagami, in his freshmen year in high school.

She smiled back. "How are you, Demetre?" With a hand, she whisked back her hair out from under the hood and it fell to her shoulders. "It's been a long time."

"Too long," he said. "You disappeared off the face of the planet five years ago. No one knew where you'd gone. Light was furious. He thought you dumped him and he got a lot of flack from the student body. You two were an engaging couple."

"It couldn't be helped. How is Light?"

Demetre frowned. Light Yagami. Kira. "As well as he could be, I suppose."

Demetre's sour tone must have been obvious, and Dana cocked her head slightly. "I see. I'm sure he's gotten over it by now."

"Light may not look it, but he holds grudges. Regardless, I think the question now is why are you here? And where is this place?"

"We're under the Savant Mansion. It was originally an old monastery, later converted to more suitable residential quarters, among other things." She gestured around the room. "I had to leave school abruptly when I learned of my father's association with the Savant Society five years ago."

"Ah!" Demetre smiled. So he had been right. "And this society associates itself with the Death Note and Shinigami."

Dana looked slightly taken aback. As if his fore knowledge was a surprise. She nodded. "That's correct. When it was learned you possessed a Death Note and had bonded with a Shinigami, you were brought here."

"A simple invitation would've been sufficient," he said drily. "Instead of drugging and dragging me from my bed in the middle of the night, handcuffing and blindfolding me, and then setting your enforcer Zurn on me."

Dana didn't have an immediate answer for that. She started to stay something, but Demetre stopped her by putting a hand up.

Demetre smiled. "I'm kidding," he said. He felt his jaw. Zurn's hit still resonated. "I'm glad to see you, too. I missed you."

Dana quickly closed the distance between them and kissed him passionately. He was taken aback, but didn't resist. He had always dreamed of kissing her.

He smiled, a little breathless when she parted from him, taking a step back. She didn't apologize for her boldness and he didn't expect her too.

"I always liked you better, Demetre. Light was fun to be with, but he never had a sense of humor. And frankly…" She blushed. "You're more attractive." She smiled. "I knew you had feelings for me by the way you always looked at me when Light and I were together. It was obvious, as are the signs are now."

He felt his face flush a little. The mere thought of her sent his pulse racing and made his heart beat faster. No other woman ever made him feel like she did when he thought of her.

But now was not the time to expose those feelings. He was in a strange place, and Dana had brought him here. Clearing his throat, he quickly composed himself.

He swallowed. "That's besides the point." He pursed his lips of any moisture. "I have a few questions."

"What would you like to know?" Dana said openly. "I've been authorized to answer any questions you have. Call me the Savant Society's official liaison."

But before he could even get a word out of his mouth, Dana had reached into her robe and pulled out his Death Note. He knew it was his because of its unique front cover: black with gold leaflets around the words Death Note.

Geist had explained most Death Notes expect for a few where academic in design.

Geist had a miniature book that fit comfortably in the palm of his hand. He said it never ran out of pages. It was all black with silver lettering spelling out Death Note in an unknown language Demetre couldn't decipher. It had characters similar to ancient Sumerian, but still had a uniqueness that was different from that ancient culture.

Perhaps it was a form of Shinigami language? In truth, Demetre never bothered to ask. And he didn't care. It was a Death Note, nevertheless.

Demetre accepted it back from Dana.

He remembered hiding it in his closet underneath his collection of comic books. He figured no one would find it. Apparently he had been incorrect in that assumption.

Geist had told him his three assailants / kidnappers knew exactly where to find it, as if having fore knowledge of its whereabouts. If that was true, then he had been watched and probably with surveillance equipment in his room like a miniature pin hole camera which could be easily installed and be wireless, relaying video feed anywhere to a phone or computer.

He narrowed his gaze at Dina, and his muscles around his left eye twitched. It was a reflex reaction. Light had first told him about it when they were kids when Demetre got mad. He also felt the left side of his mouth twitch into a sneer as a secondary reflex. "I value my privacy, Dana. So how long has the Savant Society been watching me?"

Dana was speechless. Demetre didn't normally show his anger. He felt emotions gave too much away of a person. He wanted to be mad at her, but he knew it would be of little use. She probably had no fore knowledge of big brother.

He closed it eyes for a moment, took a deep breath to calm down, and then looked back at her. "It's okay, speak. You know me, Dana. I won't normally get angry, but there are certain things I will not stand for. Especially when it comes to my privacy. You know why."

"I understand," Dana said. "You told me how your Aunt always used to snoop in your room when you a kid and that she found those Playboy magazines..."

"I can joke about it now, but back then, at twelve years old, I was severely punished, and given the leather strap across the backside (even though they were my father's mags). Since then, I've valued my privacy."

"You've been under surveillance for some time," Dana explained. "Ever since Geist was spotted. The Savant Society has spotters everywhere who tell us of the arrival of a new Shinigami in our world. Apparently, and as of late, Shinigami enjoy visiting us."

"I agree, I know of three," he said.

"Yes. Geist, Rem and Ryuk. But there are a lot more visiting our world at the moment, as well. Numerous; and they walk among us like spectres unseen to billions of people. Gods of death, taking their share of people's lives to continuously replenish their lifespans. Each member of the Savant Society including myself, share a bond with Shinigami. And we all accept the contract in which the Death Note entails. That one day we die by their hands, our names written in a Death Note."

Demetre smirked. "How very dramatic," he said with a thin smile. "You spoke that so well. You were always a good actress. You loved the stage."

"Don't mock me, Demetre."

Demetre laughed. "Allow me to answer a question unspoken that's on your lips. You want me to join the Savant Society, correct?"

She smiled, and nodded. "You were always perceptive, Demetre."

"The perception to see is simple when you're observant."

"You'll make a great detective, Demetre."

"I knew since I was a kid I wanted to follow in my father's footsteps and join the NPA. I like mysteries, games and puzzles. But that will have to be put on the back burner right now. Ironically, it looks like I have a puzzle before me, however. Well, perceptively, of course."

"Light Yagami and Misa Amane must be stopped," Dana said strongly. "By their over-indulgence of the Death Note, they're destablizing the natural order of the universe, from what we've been told by the Shinigami. They're causing the entire fabric of space and time to tear, and it could destroy everything. Other Shinigami have noticed small rips in time in other realms in which they take life, that can only be explained by a disturbance in the energy of life. Namely the murder of hundreds of people unnaturally."

Demetre chuckled. "Looks like I'll get my revenge after all. Light Yagami murdered my grandfather. Kira must pay! But he'll do subtly. I want to see him suffer first and then squirm."

"I've never seen you like this before, Demetre. You've never been one to seek revenge. You've always had a kind heart."

Demetre clutched his chain squeezing the crucifix. "When it comes to family, I'm dead set at retribution." He kissed the cross. "My grandfather gave me this crucifix on my tenth birthday. It's melted from my late grandmother's gold jewelry. I consider it the most precious thing I own. I will honor my grandfather's life by bringing his killer to justice. Light Yagami will pay!"

"You sound just like L," said Dana.

"There's on major difference between L and I."

"What's that?"

"Despite L's line of suspects, I know succinctly who Kira is. The question is, which one of is will get to him first."

Dana sighed. "Well, there may be a problem concerning that. No one knows where Light Yagami is at the moment. He vanished three days ago."

Demetre rubbed his chin in thought. "Every year he and his father take a sabbatical. When we were kids, his father used to take the two of us on camping trips to hone our survival skills in the wild. Recently, Light has been training with his father more vigorously for when he joins the NPA. I remember he told me he just applied for a gun license and has been training at NPA headquarters in the firing range. But it's too early for a sabbatical. They took one just four months ago."

"The Council has requested you locate Light Yagami and watch him."

"The Council?"

"You'll mean them later," said Dana. "They oversee the Savant Society's activities. They insisted Zurn bring you here. Unfortunately Zurn took liberties, drugging and incarcerating you like a prisoner unsure whether you'll accept the invitation. He's been reprimanded. Zurn is like the Savant Society's enforcer."

"I gathered that," Demetre said, remembering the kick to the stomach Zurn gave him. "A tough guy. There's always one in a group."

Standing there, their eyes momentarily glittered and reflected the ring of fire, and a moment of silence happened between them as each stared at the other.

"It's been nice seeing you again, Demetre," said Dana. "I've missed you very much. I was only dating Light because he was popular in school at the time."

"And I was not, wearing glasses for a lazy eye. Still coming into my own, a little chubby, too."

"I wasn't how you looked that made me like you more than Light, it was your kindness I found attractive. But now, you look so…"

"It's amazing what medicine can do for a lazy eye and health and exercise can do for the body. I learned half way through high school that intelligence was only going to get me so far. So I began a steady and rigorous regime of martial artists that has toned my body and sharpened my mind further, giving me the confidence I need to achieve the goals I set for myself in life."

Demetre smiled. "But you have no idea how much I've thought about you these past five years. I even thought of filing a missing person's report on you, seeing that Light didn't seem to care where you had gone, filled with hate for you."

"I can understand his hatred for me," Dana said plainly. Then she gestured to the door with a hand. "Come, the Council have assigned quarters to you. It's late. You must be tired."

"Frankly, with all the time I've spent unconscious, I'm not tried in the slightest."

Dana smiled. "Then perhaps we can find something else for us to do until morning."

_Us?_Demetre's brow arched as he smirked deciphering the connation behind her words.

And taking his hand, Dana escorted him out of the altar room, and to the upper floors of the mansion. Where they entered his assigned quarters at the end of a carpeted corridor, with the door closing behind them.

* * *

To be continued.


	21. Demetre's Plans

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 20

* * *

Still handcuffed like a common criminal, Light Yagami slept like some homily vagrant on the floor in his cell. He had a cot, but chose not to use it.

It had been four days since his incarceration, summarily accused of being Kira, and he had not once used the cot.

L questioned him about it, and Light said, "If you're going to treat me like a criminal, I might as well act like one." It was a snide remark to the overall situation, like a protest of a child accused of a false accusation. But L went along with it.

Light had also not once changed his clothes, continuing to wear a dark colour, loose fitting long sleeve shirt and pants, which Ryuk thought was totally unhygienic. Light was normally so anal when it came to dressing well and looking good.

Ryuk watched Light sleep. There were times where Light looked adorable, that he couldn't possibly be the worse serial killer in human history. But that was only on the surface. Deep down, Light was as evil as someone could be, using the Death Note.

He was what experts would call a cold-hearted sociopathic killer, as Light didn't care about anything other than his own desires and wants.

With his eyes closed, his brown hair ruffled, hanging down over his face, Ryuk couldn't help but chuckle momentarily at the monster he had created in Light Yagami.

It was amusing to think Light's entire life had changed in an instant when he found the Death Note. A brilliant, ambitious, model high school student, who wished to follow in his father's footsteps and join the police force, to stop criminals, ironically became the opposite of what he sought.

Light Yagami became Kira, the most notorious murderer ever to live!

But Light didn't see it that way. He saw himself as the saviour of the world.

But Ryuk had no regrets. It had all been for his entertainment, which was why he dropped the Death Note in the human world in the first place.

And Ryuk had to laugh. It was the irony that amused him. And who'd think a good looking kid like Light was a mass murderer? People automatically assumed evil was ugly, thus so was the people who committed crime. Good looks had its advantages, he guessed.

Ryuk sat in the corner of the cell.

Even though Light had buried his Death Note, Ryuk was still bound by its bond. Light was still Ryuk's handler, so he couldn't leave his side, unless he relinquished the Death Note. Which Ryuk thought might happen considering the circumstances. Light probably never thought he'd be this restrained and confined, underestimating L's fear of him.

"Get rid of it." These four little words Ryuk waited for. Something only Ryuk would understand regardless of its context or usage. They would relinquish ownership of the Death Note and disassociate Light from the Death Note and erase all memories of it. When Light decided to say them was up to him.

Light began to mumble in his sleep, which he often did when he had a lot on his mind. It was almost as if Light was quietly organising his thoughts.

Right now, he was mumbling something weird under his breath. Nothing too comprehensive to the common ear to hear, but Ryuk could decipher it in spurts. Like an old form of human communication called mores code.

Light often had dreams about world conquest, after Kira ruled the world, of course. They were delusional and fantasy dreams, with him holding the Death Note in one hand, and standing over L's broken, battered, shell-of-a-body.

They were dangerous dreams, but Ryuk had always found them interesting to listen to. Unfortunately, this was not a good time to be having one, he thought. Especially with L listening.

People rarely had control over their subconscious during REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep. It was said, in a dream, no one can tell a lie. Also, people were very susceptible to suggestion, a the form of hypnotism, in a trance-like state, where you can give people commands and they can be triggered by a single command when they're awake; a word or phrase hidden deep in their subconscious, and when said they must obey.

Light told him how this could be done, and Ryuk had an idea.

What if he implanted a suggestion in Light's subconscious mind and only he knew the word or phrase to trigger it? That would be an interesting idea.

But what suggestion would he implant and what would be the word or phrase be?

It had to be something that would be beneficial to him and Light at a later date? And, of course, be entertaining.

He had to think. But it didn't take him long, and he gently cupped a hand on Light's head, and spoke something in the Shinigami language.

Unconsciously, all beings understood all languages. Consciously, they could only understand a few. The mind was so complex, that human's could only use three percent of its potential in logic and abstract thought when awake.

But Ryuk knew how to tap the other ninety-seven percent, and went to work implanting a command deep in Light's subconscious, and when the command was triggered, Light would have to obey. No matter what.

* * *

Demetre slowly awoke. Without opening his eyes, he recalled what had happened last night and it beamed a smile on his young, boyish face.

He blinked twice, turned right, and cringed as the sun cast its brilliant rays through the window adjacent from the bed where he slept. It was breaking dawn and the sun had just risen above the horizon, but he knew he hadn't been asleep long. It wasn't until early in the morning when he did finally doze off.

He turned his head, looking at Dana sleeping sounding next to him. She was just as beautiful now as she was when he first saw her last evening. Her hair was a little tasseled, but to him she never lost an ounce of beauty no matter how she looked. He loved her deeply.

Gently easing himself out of bed so he wouldn't disturb her, he stood up and stretched his arms above his head, yawned. The sun was beyond brilliant as it bleed warmth into the room. He had never witnessed such energy from it. It almost seemed it shine just for him to welcome the new destiny he had decided last night to undertake.

He had agreed to join the Savant Society, a group of individuals who oversaw and supervised proper usage of the Death Note in his world. It all seemed surreal, but after Dana explained it to him, he finally realized the universe was a much bigger place with facets of parallel universes and other dimensions never ever conceived by human understanding. But the Savant Society knew, and through the Shinigami Realm, he now was a member of this group who knew the secrets of the universe. And it excited him.

He had to be assigned quarters in the Savant Mansion (in Japan), an old, converted monastery, for which the Society resided. The only question now was what was next? Dana said the Council (for which he had yet to meet) wanted him to locate Light Yagami, who had suddenly disappeared without a trace.

But Demetre suspected a hidden agenda. One perpetuated by no other than L.

_If I were Light, and an opponent on a chess board had my Queen in check, what would I do? Sacrifice her? Perhaps. But what if that wasn't an option? _Demetre mused further, but he didn't need to think long. _Try to save her. Play to my opponent's weakness. Do something unorthodox to confuse him. _He smiled. _You sly little son of a bitch...you turned yourself in, didn't you? So that blonde hussy wouldn't expose your secret? Something had to have happened to make you risk everything, and yet still give you an advantage over L to do that. You always have an Ace up your sleeve, Light. _

Demetre rubbed his chin, thinking, as he gazed out the window.

"Human nudity is so repulsive!"

Demetre turned sharply in response to Geist's comment. The Shinigami's voice was harsh and gravelly.

Indeed Demetre had no clothes on, after slipping out of bed. But he had no qualms about his nakedness. And he didn't consider himself repulsive. Far from it. He had the body of an Olympic gymnastic - tight, tone and muscular. It was part genetics, and hard work, exercising every day in his room, eating right, and staying level headed and confident. With all this working for him, he had everything he needed for perfect health.

He looked back at Dana, and sighed relieved. Geist's voice had not awaken her. She had touched Demetre's Death Note, so she would be able to see and hear the Shinigami. But he wondered just how many other members of the Savant Society had touched his Death Note, as well.

He looked back at Geist and put a finger to his lips to hush the Shinigami. Then slipping on his jockey's, that conformed to his mid-section like tights, he gestured Geist out of the bedroom, and to the lounge outside.

Demetre used the door, closing it gently behind him. Geist, like a phantom, walked through the wall, turning solid again when he passed all the way through.

Demetre crossed over to an open kitchenette and made a quick cup of coffee, then casually sat down in one of the two couches in the middle of the room facing opposite each other.

He took a sip. He liked coffee black. "So, where have _you_been? Out exploring?"

"In a sense," Geist said cryptically, standing in his usual hunched matter opposite Demetre. "And busy."

Demetre sipped his coffee again, licking his lips. "How so? Doing what?"

But before Geist could answer, he pointed startled to something moving on the opposite end of the couch Demetre sat on.

Demetre looked in the direction, saw a black small pillow crinkling in the corner of the couch, and smiled, taking another sip of his coffee, not worried.

The pillow suddenly morphed into a black poodle, and sat on its hind legs. It let out a small yelp or bark of hello.

"What in the Shinigami Realm is that?"

Demetre said, "A dog, obviously."

"You know what I mean!"

"Meet Cerberus. But don't let his timid appearance fool you, he's the mansion's protector. Dana introduced him to me last night. He was waiting in my quarters when we got here."

Demetre put his coffee down on a side table and gestured with a wave for the dog to come to him. It hopped, bounced, and leapt onto his lap. Demetre began to pet its head.

"I hate dogs!" Demetre said.

"Any particular reason?

"I just do. They smell, they're noisy, and they leave things everywhere!"

Demetre laughed. "Things, as in excrement."

"Yes. Disgusting! _It_smells too!"

"Okay then, if dogs aren't to your liking, how about a cat?" Cerberus suddenly morphed into a standard size black cat, which then Demetre continued to pet its head. It purred liking the attention. "It can change into anything imaginable."

"What is it?"

"A curious oddity. Believe it or not, it's a Shinigami, too."

"_That_is a Shinigami?" Geist shook his head in disbelief. "Impossible!"

"I don't have all the details yet, but apparently this creature does come from your world. It eats live things and absorbs its life force, much like you write down names in the Death Note to take a person's remaining lifespan."

"I hate cats too!"

Demetre laughed and continued to stroke Cerberus's head. It continued to purr, exotically. "Deceptive, isn't it? I like dogs and cats, and this thing has already taken a shine to me."

"Must be your magnetic personality," Geist said drily.

Demetre smiled at the joke.

"Wait," said Geist reflectively. "Now that I recall, there are legends told about animorphic creatures from our past, and stories of Shinigami that share similar traits with that thing."

"This could be a distant ancestor then," said Demetre.

"That would mean it traveled through time from the past." Geist seemed to gasp. "That thing shouldn't have the intelligence to do that!"

"Or the rips in time are getting more pronounced between my world and yours and it was sucked into a black hole vortex," Demetre suggested. He then smiled. "Relax. I was told Cerberus has been here for quite some time, long before the so-called time disturbances you Shinigami claim are happening."

"Don't think so lightly of such things, Demetre Draycott," Geist said seriously. Geist stood erect, his head almost touching the ceiling. He loomed over Demetre. "Such things can destroy the entire fabric of the universe. All we know to exist can be disappear in a whim."

"I'll watch out for any unexplained phenomenon and weird things," he said sarcastically.

Geist gave Demetre a sardonic stare.

Demetre was unfazed by the Shinigami's attempt to intimidate him and took a larger sip of coffee, taking it from the table. Every sip helped awaken his mind and energize his senses fully.

Looking at Geist, a sudden question came to mind. "Geist, what defines the appearance of a Shinigami?"

"There is no definition," said Geist. "We are chosen and our existence is defined by what we do."

"Similar to human beings. We're also defined by not who we are but what we've accomplished. But I suspect all Shinigami were something or rather someone else at one point before becoming a god of death. It's a theory I've been playing around with."

"Arguments have been made to that point, but most Shinigami don't care. They don't care what happened before or what will happen. They only concern themselves with the present."

"Which I think is a poor attitude. History is what defines humanity as a species. And I would imagine the Shinigami are defined by a similar history. The Shinigami King must know what came before?"

"He probably does, but we Shinigami prefer not to dwell on history. He is our "god". We don't question him or his wisdom."

_Wisdom, or another way to say judgment,_Demetre thought.

"History is necessary for the future, to learn from our mistakes. We need to look to the past for guidance. I'm sure this has occurred to some of the Shinigami?"

"I don't know," said Geist. "So what do you plan on doing about Light Yagami?"

Demetre put Cerberus down, stood up and went to the kitchenette. He thought about pouring another cup of coffee, but then thought against it. He put his cup in the sink. He was already wired enough and further caffeine would only trigger his neurons to go into hyper-drive, exhaust his adrenal glades, and cause an opposite effect to happen making him feel sluggish. Everything in moderation, he decided.

He had already considered where Light Yagami could be and at the moment he was untouchable. L had him stashed away somewhere.

Demetre shrugged his shoulders. "Nothing. We wait."

"What?" Geist said surprised. "What d'you mean we wait? Why do we wait?"

"What did I tell you before about rushing into things? I already have a pretty good idea where Light Yagami is at the moment and he's in no harm."

"And how d'you know that? He could be dead!"

"Illogical thinking, Geist. Think about it. If Light was dead, Ryuk would've let you know already. And I'd know about it by way of a funeral invitation from his family. No, Light's still alive. However, I think something happened that Light couldn't perceive and he's powerless at the moment."

"So where d'you think he is? With L?"

Demetre smiled. "Precisely. Our work is already done. How long L intends to keep Light is in debate."

"If Light and Ryuk are together, I can talk to Ryuk and find out what's going on," Geist said.

"Good thinking," said Demetre, about to pose that very same thing. "Now all you have to do is find L." He crossed the length of the lounge to the bedroom door, opening it. "In the meantime, I'm going back to bed."

He found Dana awake smiling, as he entered the bedroom closing the door behind him. "Good morning," he said.

Dana was sitting up, with the sheets pulled up to her neck.

She smiled back. "Good morning," she said somewhat sleepishly. "How did you sleep?"

He raised his eyebrows and smirked as he sat down on the bed next to her. "If I recall, neither of us got much sleep last night."

Dana nodded. "What were you and Geist discussing out there? I could hear muffled voices but nothing clear."

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted his Death Note on the side table next to the bed. It wasn't in the same place he had left it.

"I sent Geist on an errand to find Light Yagami," he said.

"I looked through your Death Note. I see you almost killed your friend."

Demetre recalled when he stopped short of finishing Light's name in his Death Note right after returning Light's phone he lost at the university learning Light was Kira. He had decided to not finish Light's name, ending at Y-A-G-A, leaving the M-I unwritten.

"Yes," he simply said.

"Light Yagami is Kira, the first. He killed your grandfather."

"I know that. And simply finishing his name in the Death Note won't satisfy me." Demetre clutched his crucifix. "He'll pay dearly for what he's done. But I won't let emotions dictate my actions. I'll let logic and accountability do it for me. Light has a child-like sense of justice. Therefore I'm going to treat him like a child."

"Once friends, now bitter enemies. Ironic, I suppose."

Demetre frowned. "Perhaps," he said, not totally convinced in that decision. Some small part of him still considered Light his friend. Light was not evil. It was the Death Note that corrupted him. And it turned a noble cause to bring peace to the world into something dark and sinister. The god power twisted his mind. So, was Light really the evil one here or were the true evil the Shinigami themselves? It was something to think about. If Light never picked up the Death Note, then Demetre's grandfather would still be alive.

Dana shifted her body under the sheets and came to sit behind him on the bed. He felt her as she pressed her breasts against his naked back and wrapped her arms around him, hugging him.

"You're too tense about Light Yagami," she said. "Hopefully things will be less stressful for you later today when I show you around and introduce you to the Council." She rested her chin on his shoulder.

"I'd like that," he said thoughtfully. He wanted to learn all there was about the Savant Society and their connection with the Shinigami Realm. Geist had already taken him to visit the Shinigami Realm, and it was very educational. He had meant a lot of the Shinigami and he had shown them respect and courtesy. They were gods after all and decided to be pampered as such. The worse thing to do is to tick off a god of death. But there so much more to learn about the Shinigami and their realm.

"In the meantime, come back to bed," she suggested. "The council won't be session for another couple of hours."

Demetre smiled and turned to her. He kissed her on the lips, and leaned in, pressing her down upon the bed, and their bodies embraced in another precursor to coitus.

* * *

To be continued.


	22. Light Loses the Power

DEATH NOTE – THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR – CHAPTER 21

* * *

It was like waking up from a bad dream.

_"GET RID OF IT!"_

The words momentarily resounded in his mind. And something about foolishly pride?

_Get rid of what? And what was I'm so proud about?_

He couldn't remember.

He knew he had forgotten something important. But all attempts to recover it eluded him. It was like his memory of whatever it was just got erased in a single, instantaneous moment.

Everything but the emotions the memory evoked and the revelations connected to it.

Light Yagami was horrified at the situation he suddenly found himself in. His civil rights had been trounced, his freedom suppressed, his future in jeopardy, his name and reputation tarnished beyond reproach.

_HE_ had allowed it to happen!

_HE_ had insisted on it!

_HE _had given up his civil rights to prove his innocence!

But he wasn't guilty!

His eyes widened. "I'm not Kira!" he protested. "I tell you, I'm not Kira!"

He knew L was watching him on camera, and Light look directly into the lens, as if looking directly at L.

It was mid-afternoon. There wasn't a clock in the cell L put him in, but just by the fatigue he felt in his body, he guessed the time of day.

He felt cramps everywhere in his body in staying handcuffed for so long and remaining virtually in the same position for a week.

"Look into these eyes!" He said into the camera addressing L. Determination demanding his innocence. "Do these look like the eyes of a killer?"

"Yes, they do," L came back over the camera's speaker. "I've always thought so." L's words sounded so casual, but affirm, without reservation.

"Do you really think I'm Kira?" Light's voice had a plea to it for L to believe his innocence.

"Yes," L replied flatly.

"Let me go!"

"No," L again said flatly.

In a court of law, innocence was given temporarily in exchange of guilt proven before a trail of your peers. But L had taken liberties to the extreme to ensure that he was right. L was undermining everything under the Japanese constitution and everything Light believed in. Everything Light's father believed in, as well.

His father. How could his father condone this?

But a larger question demanded an answer.

For what insane reason did he admit to being Kira when he knew he wasn't? Had he been coaxed, brainwashed, manipulated? Did L need a suspect since the case was going cold?

A thought instantly exploded to the surface of Light's mind. Had he signed a confession? If so, he'd fight it to his last dying breath!

Light Yagami knew without a doubt that he was NOT Kira!

* * *

Sleep came in spurts for Light. His body was stiff and he was very uncomfortable in his cell.

It had been days since his sudden "awakening", and L still wouldn't release him despite countless pleas. He had tried sleeping on the cot and on the floor, but neither helped cure his annoying off and on bouts of insomnia.

He could feel L watching him and it unnerved him.

He had been wearing the same clothes for over a week and they were starting to smell with perspiration and body odour. They were his prison clothes, in a way. But even prisoners were given fresh linen. This was unconstitutional, he decided strongly.

He lay on the floor of his cell, his head tilted, his arms and legs bound, unable to sleep, he said, "Somebody talk to me. Where's my father? I want to talk to him."

"He's unavailable," L responded after a short period of silence.

Light looked up at the camera. "Let me out of here! I'm not Kira!"

"You wanted this, remember? You wanted to prove your innocence. Although your reasoning was conclave, it's hard to believe you're suffering from a duel-personality."

"I'm not Kira! How many times do I have to say it?"

Silence filled Light's cell for a moment.

He stared at the camera lens, his eyes glaring with determination of his innocence. It almost felt like L was thinking, as if all Light's pleas were putting doubt into L's theory that he had the right person.

But the silence didn't last long.

"I'm not much for sleep either," L revealed. "If you can't sleep, do you want to play a game?"

"A game? Are you serious?" Light protested.

"Twenty questions. Each us can ask twenty questions of the other and we both must answer honestly. The minute one of us suspects the other is being dishonest, the game ends. But I have one stipulation. Do not ask my real name."

Light snorted. "You must be insane."

"You can lay there in silence if you want. I don't have a problem with that. All I have to do is mute the audio and your rants will fall deaf. The walls of your cell are sound proof. And there is no one else here but me. The sent the taskforce have gone home for the evening."

Light sighed deeply. A few strains of his hair fell over his mouth and he blew them away. "Very well. Who goes first?"

"I will."

"Figures," Light said with a snort.

"Ready?"

"Yeah, sure."

"Are you sure? You sound reluctant."

"Yes! Go!" Light said back irritated.

"First question. Are you Kira?"

"No!" Light shouted.

"Now you ask me a question," said L.

"Fine," said Light. "Are _you_Kira?"

There was a short pause. "That's an interesting question," replied L. "I'm curious why you would waste your first question on such a frivolous and obviously redundant inquiry?"

"Answer the question!" Light demanded.

"Very well. No, I am not Kira." L's voice was causal in tone. "My turn. Hypothetically, if you shared thoughts with Kira, what do you think his motive to kill would be?"

Light glared at the camera. He was insulted by the question, but he was even more surprised that he had a quick enough answer. "Kira kills criminals. He thinks he imposing justice upon the wicked. I think it's a lame excuse."

"And why did you say that?"

"Because evil can never be eradicated, it festers in the shadows like ghosts, waiting to frighten the next suspecting person. But it's only human nature we inherently fall prey to our carnal instincts to help others by playing 'the hero'."

"Is this from a philosophical opinion or a factual one?"

"Arguments can be debated for both."

"But logic and opinion contradict each other. And a detective relies mainly on logic. Therefore your belief that we inherently fall prey to our carnal instincts to help others by playing 'the hero' has no merit, especially in this time and era. Environment, upbringing and mindfulness of one's actions, dictates an individual's methodology and thought processes. Genetics does not."

"That's semantics and you know it."

"Ask me a question now," said L.

Light sighed, thinking for a moment. "Why did you stop playing tennis?"

L didn't immediately answer, as if he was searching for a logical reply. "I chose to end it. Like chess, tennis is a game of strategy. When it became repetitive, I left the game to pursue other ventures."

"You said you were the British Junior Champion. How can someone just walk away from that?"

"Like I said, other interests took priority."

"You could've done both. You're an exceptionally good tennis player as I observed when we played each other."

"Thank you, and I observed something of you as well during our match."

Light frowned. "That I have the same traits as Kira? Is that why you asked for that match?"

"Correct. Kira has all traits of a sociopath killer."

"More like a psychopath," Light cut in. "And I am not either!"

"True. But there's a fine line between the two that not many people can distinguish."

"Such as?"

"A sociopath is a habitual lair and is totally selfish, caring only to establish dominance over others. In that regards, two-thirds of the world population are sociopaths. A psychopath does care about others and believes what he does is justified for a greater good."

"But you just proved my point…" Light said confused. "Kira is a psychopath."

"Kira is cold-blooded and he's a coward, hiding in the shadows and using whatever supernatural gift bestowed upon him. But he does not kill without just cause. He kills to install fear, not for pleasure like psychopaths do. And if his powers do come from a higher power, I can't beat him on that level."

"So why chase him if you know you can't win?"

"To play his game."

"People are dying! This isn't a game!"

"I agree. But Kira is a strategist, much like you. That's why I zeroed on you initially after careful and thorough research. Kira was getting information from classified sources. You had access to your father's computer via a wireless network, and you're smart enough to erase your electric footprints."

"I'm not Kira!" Light shouted.

"As you've said. But you've also had plenty of opportunity to commit all those murders."

"How? Huh? Tell me, ol' wise one! I don't even know how Kira kills!"

"Frankly, neither do I. Well, I do have a theory but it's inconclusive."

"Tell me what you think. Maybe I can help?"

"Ridiculous. You're my prime suspect and Misa Amane is suspected of being your cohort. However, now both of you seem to be sprouting totally different personalities than before - once quiet and subdued, now loud and outspoken. Strange."

"Are you suggesting we had this 'power' and then it was taken away from us by a higher force, as if we were like marionettes controlled by strings?"

"An interesting hypothesis, don't you think? But no, you were both cognitive of your actions. It's just now you've forgotten, like you both have a form of selected amnesia. The power was definitely taken from you..."

L trailed off, as if thinking, reasoning out some new theory or adding to an old one.

"But…" he continued, "If that's the case, then where did it go?" L finished. "And who, if any, has it now, and will it return to you?"

Light opened his mouth to once again declare his innocence, but then decided not to bother. It would be a waste of energy. L had the mindset he was Kira, and unless Light was innocent without a shadow of doubt, with zero percent, nothing he said would convince L of it otherwise.

"Back to the game?" Light suggested.

"Ah, yes...we managed to drift away from it. The score is you: 6, me: 5."

"Agreed. Ask your next question."

"What makes you smile?" L asked.

Light contemplated the question. "Anything I think that's amusing. If it's funny, I laugh. Humorous, smirk."

"I don't think you understand the question."

"I understand it just fine. I gave you an honest answer."

"No, you didn't. You gave me reactions to mental stimuli. I asked you what makes you smile."

"And I just told you!"

"You obviously don't understand the question."

"It's a stupid question."

"A child would be able to answer it easily and without hesitation."

Light tried to wrap his way around L's logic, but just got more confused. "What do you mean a child?"

"That's interesting," L mused. "It's a simple question not filled with complexities, but if asked of Kira, he could also answer it."

"But you believe I'm Kira..."

"Yes, which makes your answer interesting. A logical mind would answer the question analytically by describing a smile, but an abstract mind, such as in the case of Kira logic takes a back seat to child-like thinking."

"I don't understand."

"A child's mind isn't burdened or downtrodden with facts or information used to distract the brain like an adult or a teen's, for that matter. If you ask a child to draw 'happiness', he/she can without retrospect or deep thought, could draw it. A child would draw a portrait of family members or a nature scene or even a family pet."

"Abstract thinking, I see. A child fills in the picture instead of thinking about the dimensions, like coloring within the lines of a picture, metaphorically speaking," said Light.

"Precisely," L agreed. "Kira can't color within the lines. That's why his killings are so generalized. 'You do the crime, you do the time.' Unfortunately, Kira takes it one step further with one sentence to every crime. Kira only thinks in terms of black and white. He sees no grey area in crime, like the motive behind the crime, and there's always one. As he believes he's a god, he harods himself to be judge, jury and executioner without considering the nature of the criminal offence."

"I think I understand," Light said. "But speaking from a psychologically standpoint, shouldn't Kira be able color in the lines too, if he believes to be serving out true justice?"

"I don't believe so. Kira has a child-like sense of justice. And he's only been killing for a short while. He hasn't developed the mental acuity to reach beyond held boundaries, like that learned after years of discipline and judgment and common sense. He has standards, whether they be personal beliefs or rules given to him, he must adhere to them, or he feels his plight is meaningless."

"That makes sense. But the fact I couldn't answer your question puts my guilt into doubt, doesn't it? I don't think like Kira. Therefore, I'm innocent!"

"Hardly," L said flatly. "But it does lower the percentage of you _being_ Kira."

"To what percentage?"

"Fifty percent."

"I see," Light said disheartened. He took a deep breath. "The score is 9 to 6 in my favor."

"Yes, I agree, it's my turn," L said. "I'll ask three questions this time to catch up."

* * *

To be continued.


	23. Interrogation Times TEN!

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 22

* * *

L sat crouched on his couch as comfortable as he possibly could. He had once explained to Light that he had little choice but to sit like he did or his deductive reasoning would decrease by 40%.

Not that he enjoyed it any. Sometimes when he was alone and he decided to wane off "thinking", he'd sit normally and vegetate. But this would only allow him to pretend to be like everyone else. Which he wasn't.

Matter-of-factly, he was a genius. He was the great L, the masterful detective the world knew. And yet, he had a case before him that perplexed him greatly.

Was Light Yagami the serial killer the world knew as Kira, or wasn't he? He once thought without a doubt, yes. Now, that conclusive reasoning was falling prey to indecision.

And after the recent answers to the game of twenty questions they were playing went beyond that of what L thought was the true thinking of Kira, which he thought mirrored that of Light Yagami, the percentage of Light being Kira was steadily decreasing. It was now at 35%.

Now the game continued with L watching Light from his hotel room via surveillance equipment and monitors; Light handcuffed and secured in a holding cell in an undisclosed location.

L continued, asking the first of three questions to catch up to Light's 9-6 score.

"How did you feel when your sister was born? Some people have animosity towards other siblings having to share their parents' love."

Light looked bewildered in thought for a moment staring away from the camera. Then looked back. "I don't remember. Perhaps I could've, but those feelings have already been resolved, if I had them. It's human nature to be jealous, however."

"Sayu's 14, isn't she? And you're 19. It was only fourteen years ago. Think hard. You were a child. Children get jealous a lot."

Light seemed to glare at the camera and L sensed Light's inquisitive thinking towards the question. But obviously Light didn't want to waste another superfluous question, and said, "If I said I didn't have envious feelings when Sayu was born, I'd be lying. So I'd say I guess I was jealous of Sayu in the matter in which you referred. I was only 4. But not anymore."

"I believe you. You love your sister. You love your parents, too, I gather. But why do you feel such hostility towards your father?"

Light's eyes seemed to widen with shock. "I what?" he demanded. "I don't understand. I don't hate my father. Why in the world would you say that?"

"I didn't say you hated your father. I asked why do you feel such hostility towards him?"

"I don't hate my father," Light said defensively. Light's eyes seem to bore into L in an intimidating manner, almost with harsh reprisal at suggestion such a thing.

But it had been a test. L wanted this sort of reaction out of Light. An honest reaction. He knew one of the most honest reactions to a question was that of hate. And Light appeared to be focusing his current hate on L.

But it wasn't the sort of hate Kira would express, L observed. This was a kind of hate not fuelled by the need to kill, but the kind of _How dare you!_

Child psychology was a difficult field. But in researching it and reading a lot of behavioural cases, L concluded every child had at least some animosity towards one or both parents for their upbringing. He'd need to dwell deeper into Light's case, however. Maybe ask his father how Light was when he was a child to bring a little light on why Light would feel so strongly against the criminal element acting as Kira.

If Light was Kira? It was starting to look like L had been mistaken in his accusation of Light after the reactions he was getting with his questions. Light's guilt was now at 25%. But that was still high in L's opinion. Anything higher than 1% still brought suspicion.

"I retract my last two questions," he said. "I apologize for suggesting - "

"You can't do that!" Light came back. "The score is now 9 to 8. All questions are final. Ask your third question to tie us. Then it'll be my turn."

"Very well. I'll ask you a general-type question," L said. "Are you bored?"

Light blinked thoughtfully. It almost seemed like he didn't know how to answer the question.

"Light, did you hear the question?"

"Yes, I heard it," Light said, gazing away from the camera, as if thinking about his answer.

"It's a simple question. Yes or no."

"Are you asking it from a purely philosophical point of view or in the conventional sense?"

"I'm just asking you if you're bored. It's not a difficult question to answer, Light. Any other person wouldn't think about it. Unless you're trying to analyse it for a hidden meaning? And if so, don't bother. There isn't one. So I'll ask again. Light, are you bored?"

"No. I'm enjoying this game."

L hesitated momentarily. Something about Light's answer made him wonder if he was giving the answer L wanted and not the one he wanted to give. L now wondered if Light had thought the question was referring to something else and that's why he had been thinking about it.

Hypothetically, if Light was Kira and he was bored with school, even life in general, and he was presented with a god-like power, would the thrill of committing murdering and seeing if he could get away with it intrigue Light to the point of godliness?

Could a Shinigami really exist to bring Light such immense supernatural power and then just suddenly take it away because he had grown so powerful, or he had just gotten careless by involving Misa Amane?

Misa Amane was far the ill-smartest girl L ever came to observe. Perhaps her involvement had not been planned and she somehow, in her ditsy way, managed to screw something up for Light? If it wasn't for her capture, would Light still have the power of a Shinigami?

Something must have happened for Light to turn himself in like this, relinquishing all his civil rights. No sensible person would do that unless the choice was forced upon them. And then seeing how hopeless the situation was, decided to annul the power or get rid of it, which of course were the very same words Light used only days before, that suddenly saw a rapid change in his personality.

"Get rid of it," L mused breathlessly. "Hmm."

No, he was jumping to conclusions. His theory wasn't based on facts. He can't work on suppositions. A good detective worked with factual evidence to form a solid supposition. Attempting to fill in certain gaps was just bad form.

And yet, it was something to think about later.

"I think this game should conclude," L said. He wanted to think about his newest theory, reason them out, and if it had merit, act on it accordingly.

"No!" Light protested strongly. "I want to continue. I told you I wasn't bored of the game."

"Then tell me why it took you so long to answer the question?"

"I don't know. But I'm not bored with the game. It keeps me occupied."

"It keeps your mind occupied, you mean."

"Didn't I just say that?"

"No, you didn't. You said it keeps "_you_" occupied."

"Stop reading innuendos into my words, Ryuzaki."

L mused momentarily. This was the first time Light used his fake name since he was incarcerated. Light didn't use it before out of contempt for his situation, always calling him L.

Something had definitely changed in Light, something L didn't understand. This wasn't Kira he was speaking to now, this was Light Yagami.

But there was something Light had just said that intrigued him. Light said he wasn't bored of the game. L had asked "Are you bored?" as a general-type question; it didn't directly relate to the game, but the simplicity of the question would most likely refer to it. Yet Light had to think about the question which would entail that Light was indeed bored...of something.

"The score is 9 all," L said. "Let's continue..."

* * *

Sweat glistened down Demetre's naked back and his hair was saturated with it.  
He hissed between clenched teeth as the whip coursed across his skin, ripping flesh.

His arms and ankles were out-stretched, shackled to two stone pillars with chains. It was the second time he had been subdued in this manner since being brought to the Savant Mansion.

And by the same man!

Demetre wore his jockey's, but that's he had on. He had been taken from his quarters, snatched from his bed, while Dana was in the commencement of her morning balutions.

Zurn Willington and three of his cohorts had kidnapped Demetre forcefully and once again drugged him, and when he awoke, Demetre found himself secured by tight chains here.

The place was dark with only the dimmest of illumination to enlighten the room. He couldn't see clearly through the fog of sweat in his eyes it created, but there were objects in the room that looked like they belonged in a Medieval torture room.

It was a repeat of Demetre's initial introduction to the Savant Society and to Zurn. Instead this time, the intensity of the torture had increased ten fold!

But no one had informed him that sexual fraternization was forbidden amongst other members of the Society. If this was the case, why hadn't Dana told him before they'd slept together in the several times since he had arrived?

Zurn struck him again with the whip. A sharp snap was followed by the impact to the mid of Demetre's back.

Zurn seemed to get some perverse pleasure out of Demetre's pain, repeatedly whipping him again and again.

Demetre hissed between clenched teeth as the impact of the whip ripped his flesh with snap after snap. But he did not given Zurn the satisfaction of hearing him cry out, although deeply wanting to.

He let out a deep breath as Zurn momentarily stopped, the sting of each strike delivering unbelievable pain throughout Demetre's entire body.

"How does feel, kid? Let me hear you scream!"

Demetre grunted. "Thank you sir, may I have another," he hissed out in defiance.

Zurn growled. "Damn you!"

Demetre received several more lashes each as vicious and as painful as the last. Each time he wanted to cry out, but refused to do so.

Zurn had told him he had been disgruntled by the Council to bestow clemency to Demetre in lule of punishment for defying of an old law no longer practiced, but Zurn was the Savant Society's enforcer and thus enforced all rules, even out-dated ones.

Demetre didn't know how long he'd been here, but as his body rippled with pain after being whipped so many times across his entire body - back, chest and legs - time seemed irrelevant. He felt like he was in Hell.

Zurn had taken off his shirt before the whipping started no doubt wanting full flexibility of movement to engage in his torturous, sadistic activity, and despite being mainly a desk jockey at the NPA (National Police Agency), he was extremely fit and muscular with tone, hard ripped, chiseled features.

Demetre took several deep breaths as Zurn had momentarily stopped whipping him again. Zurn's breathing had grown heavier too, as if he was getting tired of the strenuous exercise.

Every part of Demetre's body cried out in pain. His limbs were tired from being stretched out from their normal postures; his body was torn and bloodied, the sting of his sweat salting open wounds; and his mind begged telepathically for someone to find him to make this maniac stop!

Zurn came around in front and clutched Demetre's chin with a strong hand and pulled Demetre's head up from an exhausted position.

Demetre breathed out deeply and he stared with dagger eyes at the demented man with utter contempt and hate who eyed him back with a sinister smile.

"What you did was strictly forbidden. I was going to take it easy on you because it was your first offence, but you've forted my attempts to make this amusing for myself."

"Go to hell!"

Demetre spat in Zurn's face and Zurn recoiled, taking a step back. Zurn slowly wiped the spit off his face. And then just laughed.

Zurn smiled at Demetre coyly. "Defiance will only elevate the pain, my dear boy..."

Taking the spit, he gently caressed Demetre's chest with it and slowly sucked in air through his teeth, his eyes fluttering with pleasure, as if the mere touch of Demetre's flesh generated some sort of sexual arousal.

Zurn touched each one of Demetre's open bloody wound's, sending a chill of ultimate sensitivity through Demetre's body, each one made his teeth chatter, generating a whimper for Zurn to stop. It was a new sensation of pain.

And finally, when Zurn dug his nails deep into one of Demetre's wounds, he screamed, it erupting with loud reverberation inside the room.

"That's what I want to hear, kid," Zurn said, sucking air through clenched teeth with demented pleasure. "The sound of your screams is music to my ears. Be this a lesson to you, Draycott." He removed his hand from Demetre. "It wasn't my choice to accept you into the _Society_. But by my decree, you will adhere to its laws!"

Tears filled Demetre's angry eyes, and he cursed his torturer. Words, as a Christian, that were blasphemous to be spoken out loud, and in earshot of the crucifix hanging around his neck.

Zurn cradled the crucifix in his hand and then squeezed it. "Such nasty language," he said with a chuckle. He ripped the chain and held it aloft gazing at the crucifix as it dangled in mid air. "You people and your religious delusions of divinity. Don't you know there is no God? The Shinigami are the only "gods" we need be concerned about, not some figment of Humanity's antiquated imagination."

Demetre growled. Even though he had never seen his god, he considered Him superior to any Shinigami! But it was considered purely on faith.

Despite the pain Demetre felt coursing through his body, he calmed himself putting faith in his one true God. He eyed Zurn with dagger eyes. Zurn looked taken back by the hardened stare. "Faith is more than seeing with one's eyes," he said philosophically.

Zurn smirked. "Yes. But seeing is believing," he countered. "You can have all the faith you want in your god, but He won't save you."

"Shut up!"

"Hmm. So touchy. Are you going to quote me scripture now to prove that there is a God?"

"No. Words of such grace will be wasted on a piece of shit like you!"

"Very good. You're already learning."

Demetre's brow arched befuddled. "Huh?"

Zurn just laughed.

"The _Society_has welcomed many children into its heartfelt bosom. Young and old. In fact, our youngest member was only eight years old."

"Eight? You mean there's an eight your old kid bonded with a Shinigami here?"

"Incorrect. I said he "was" eight years old when he was welcomed into the _Society_. You'll met him soon enough. He's your age now. And coincidentally, he's only made one kill with his Death Note like you."

So others "had" looked in his Death Note, Demetre surmised. It was the only way anyone could've know he'd only written down a single name causing a supernatural heart attack, which incidentally was blamed on Kira.

"He's made no other kills for eight years? Hasn't his Shinigami gotten bored?"

"No. Cerberus is his Shinigami. You met it on your first night here. It seems perfectly content in our world with its animorphic abilities playing mischievously around the Mansion, while at the same time protecting it. And Adam is a special case."

Demetre wondered what Zurn meant by that. And who was this Adam? Biblical reference, not incurred.

Zurn turned to leave, wrapping up the whip in his hands. Demetre was glad the torture session was over, but he wanted to know more about Adam. And he thought about asking. But decided against it.

Instead, he said, "You're sick and twisted! There's a special place in Hell reserved for people like you!"

Zurn laughed, turned, and said, "Like us, you mean? Remember, you used the Death Note, too. _Thou shalt not kill._Isn't that one of your ten sacred commandments?"

He lightly tossed Demetre's chain and crucifix at him and it bounced off Demetre's chest and fell at his feet.

"It was a special case in my instance," Demetre defended. "I didn't know the true nature of the Death Note realistically, but I used it to save my life from someone who's heart was darkened by evil."

"It makes no difference. Murder is murder. Welcome to the club. Someone will be by to collect you." Zurn turned to leave again, but then leaned in close to Demetre's face suddenly. "But before I go, allow me to officially introduce myself. I am Zurn Willington, the Savant Society's official interrogator, and holder of its many illustrious secrets."

Zurn chuckled. "See ya around kid."

And as Zurn walked away, Demetre was intrigued by what exactly he meant by _"...its many illustrious secrets._"

* * *

To be continued.


	24. Demetre's indoctrination

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 23

* * *

With all the care of a caregiver nurse, Dana carefully helped Demetre back to his quarters walking very slowly. With every step Demetre made, he hissed out in pain.

Zurn had really did a number on him. The enforcer had told her via a messenger where to find him.

In following, was an elderly member of the Society's Council, a man named Tacoma who accompanied them. When the messenger found them, Tacoma was in company with Dana in the Dining Hall having a meal.

Demetre gently sat on his bed feeling every wound on his body set ablaze with pain. Whip marks coursed his entire body, bleeding and raw. Blood covered almost everywhere. Everywhere except for Demetre's face, for which Zurn left untouched.

Dana first cleaned Demetre's wounds with water and a silk cloth, and then softly rubbed bacteria cream (that she had brought with her) over each one, taking great care not to hurt him.

But she had been wound. And Dana knew Demetre was suffering in silence.

The white cream was cold, and each touch stung sharply as it penetrated a wound, bringing a sheering sensation of needle poking pain. But as the cream soaked in, soon there was the welcome sensation of relief as the anti-bacteria enzymes eased the pressure of the damaged nerves that had been throbbing ever since Zurn had tortured him.

Tacoma was dressed in a white robe that dropped to his ankles and wore sandals. He had thick white hair and closely trimmed white bread. And was of average weight for his height. He wore large Christian cross attached to a long neck gold chain draped in front. All in white, ironically, he looked almost angelic, as if he were a messenger from God.

And just seeing it gave Demetre the strength he needed to endure the lasting pain of Zurn's torture (and Dana's anti-bacteria cream).

_My Lord God, please give me the strength to endure all this pain. _He prayed.

Like Demetre, Tacoma was a very religious man. And he had a deeply philosophical view of how the Death Note was to be used, and one of many who believed that the Shinigami and the Death Note could be a beneficial to Mankind instead of a menace, if their power was used properly.

Dana had introduced Demetre to him on his second day at the mansion.

Tacoma stood on the opposite side of Demetre, as Dana applied the cream to Demetre's wounds.

"I have to apologize profusely for Zurn's actions, Demetre," Tacoma said wincing as Demetre hissed in pain at another yet gentle touch by Dana to one of his wounds. "Most of us on the Council do not approve of his methods."

Demetre flinched, as a sharp pain coursed through his body when Dana touched a chest wound. She apologized. "Then why put up with him?" he asked.

Tacoma frowned. "I dare say, there are certain circumstances that prevent us from taking any action against him. He follows an out-dated code. But there is very little we can do, because it is still written law."

"No one told me this," Dana protested. "If I'd known..."

"It's not your fault, child. I am to blame. I neglected to inform you because I was unaware of your close relationship with Demetre."

Demetre and Dana looked at each other, each smiled thin. "Renewed relationship," Demetre said. "We've known each other since grade school." Demetre looked at Tacoma. "Who does Zurn answer to?" he demanded. "He must have a superior!"

Tacoma and Dana both looked at the other with an almost _afraid_look. It was obvious they knew who.

And Demetre saw it. "You know, don't you?"

"There is only one individual Zurn answers to, despite him being an activity member of the Savant Society. He served two masters, to use the vernacular correctly." He shook his head. "But I can not say. His name is not to be spoken out loud. He's one of the Fallen."

"Fallen?"

"I cannot say anything more," Tacoma said. "The walls may have ears."

Demetre frowned, looking at Dana. She shook her head. "No Demetre, your room isn't bugged, if that's what you're thinking? I took great care for that not to happen."

The door to the Demetre's bedroom swung open quickly. Dana had closed it after the trio had entered to give them privacy. But she had obviously forgot to lock the front door. And a young man in his thirties stood at the threshold dressed similar to Tacoma.

He looked at the three, and was awestruck, his mouth agape as he looked at Demetre.

Tacoma had introduced the man to Demetre the day before Zurn went on his torturous tirade while on a personal tour of the mansion.

"My heavens! I just got word! Who did this? Was it Zurn?"

Tacoma nodded. "Yes, Brother Alex." Tacoma turned to Demetre. "Brother Alex was also the unfortunate victim of a one of Zurn's tirades a few years back," he explained.

"I was whipped for disobeying a law I had no knowledge of and Zurn refused to give me leniency," said Alex. Then shook his head in shock. "And no where near as severe as this." His face turned hard, looking at Tacoma. "Something must be done about Zurn, Brother Tacoma! Such barbarianism can not tolerated! Be it written law or not!"

"I will have a talk with the other council members about Zurn," Tacoma said. However his voice sounded unconfident that anything could be done. "We should postpone your initiation into the Brotherhood until you've properly healed, Demetre. There's no rush."

Demetre refused. "I want to be initiated as soon as possible. I won't let Zurn beat me. I wish to pledge into the _Society_and he one of you. And, I want Zurn in attendance during the ceremony."

"He will not be invited," Alex said strongly.

"Invite him, I insist."

Both Tacoma and Alex looked at the other surprised. Even Dana had a look of awe in her eyes. But then all agreed.

"Then let it be so, Demetre Draycott," Tacoma said ceremoniously. "In three days, you will pledge yourself before the _Society _and will become one of us. Dana will help you prepare. There is much to learn before you can stand on the podium."

"I'll help him," Dana agreed. "He'll be ready."

Demetre smiled.

And as Alex and Tacoma turned and left the bedroom, Demetre turned to Dana, and said, "And no matter what, I'll repay Zurn in kind for what he's done. Death Note or not."

Dana nodded in agreement despite her personal feelings on revenge. And said, "_Do unto others, as they would do unto you…_"

The ceremony was held in the large audience hall, also known as the _praxeum_, and was illuminated with flickering dancing torch light.

The "_Ceremony of Introduction_", as it was called, was attended by all twelve Council members of the Savant Society and a selected few invited others. Dana and Zurn were also in attendance.

Zurn had been personally invited by Tacoma, but whether he'd show was up for question. Notwithstanding, he didn't disappoint. Zurn was a masochist and delighted in witnessing the pain and suffering of his victims, so Demetre knew he'd come.

Geist was also in attendance, with other Shinigami Demetre had been introduced to over the last couple of days, bonded to Council members and others in the audience hall.

Including a strange young man with shaggy brown hair. Adam was his name, and he was bonded to Cerberus. He stood away from the main group, but looked on with interest.

Zurn, Demetre observed, stood in the back of the room also away from the main group of spectators, as if he was too proud to mingle with them. His arms were folded across his chest and a sour expression plastered on his face, as if he didn't want to be here.

He was the _Society's_enforcer, (self-appointed), and even though he considered himself on a higher level than everyone else, he was still bound by the word of the Council. And since the request for him to attend came directly from Tacoma, he couldn't refuse. Which gave Demetre a certain bragging rights that at least there something Zurn heeded to.

But there was something about the man that gave Demetre the feeling that Zurn didn't want him to join the Savant Society, as if hoping to scare him off with that torture session. Sleeping with Dana was just a cover. Zurn was nervous about something. Demetre had always been perceptive about others' behaviors and body language, wanting to be a cop like his father. Whether that instinct was inbred or learned, he didn't know. But what Demetre did know was that Zurn didn't want him here. An almost as if Demetre's presence was a disturbance to Zurn's already secretly established order of fear, because unlike the others in the Society, Demetre was in no shape or form afraid of Zurn.

His body was still very sore after being whipped, but Demetre he knew his faith and strength would be rewarded.

Zurn had said there was no other god(s) but that of the Shinigami. By sight unseen, a person would tend to believe that. But Demetre believed otherwise. He had his faith, like _Job_ in the Bible. Whom God had taken everything away from: family, livelihood, and just about everything else, just to test his faith.

Demetre's faith would never waver.

_"Thou shalt have no other god but me."_So said the Almighty. It was the holiest of God's ten commandments that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai on two stone tablets.

To Demetre, the Shinigami were nothing more than pseudo gods, masquerading as powerful beings just because they held death notes. If so, then so was he, as he also possessed a Death Note. But he knew he was merely a servant being used by Geist to be entertained, and for now he accepted that moniker. Just for now.

A few select words were delivered by Tacoma from a sacred book he held, and recited and repeated by Demetre, and a drop of blood from Demetre's finger fell onto a common looking small flat stone that stood before him on the podium.

It was said the stone came from the Shinigami Realm. Therefore, he held special meaning to the Savant Society.

Reciting text linguisticed from the Shinigami language and pledging an oath of obedience to uphold the sacred usage of the Death Note, Demetre was told that these words heeded to give a stronger bond between him and his Shinigami.

But knowing the secrets of the Death Note told to him knowledge was the true power. Knowledge was always the greatest power. And Demetre wagered he knew more about how to use the Death Note than even Light Yagami did.

The Savant Society was world wide, he was told. Japan was merely one point of the compass. All who possessed a Death Note were members and held their association in high regard secretly spreading their "religion" to other parts of the world with new Shinigami coming to the world on a consisted basis and authorized by the Shinigami King. An alliance between the Shinigami and the Society, it give the Shinigami who needed to replenish their fading life spans victims. With six billion people plus on the planet with thousands more being born every day, a few hundred "normal-like" heart attack deaths would not be noticed if done with normalcy.

Only two people who possessed Death Notes were not members of the _Society_: Light Yagami and Misa Amane. And those among the hierarchy of the Council, even Shinigami, considered them blasphemers of the worse kind. And most Shinigami wanted to kill the two. But the Shinigami King denied such action for reasons he didn't explain. The Shinigami King was law, and all Shinigami obeyed his word without question.

Tacoma, in his white robe, raised his arms into the air, as if in benediction, spoke an ancient prayer than Demetre recognized as being in the Koran, a middle eastern religious text, and then reaching into a stoked pyre pit behind him, the Council member pulled out a iron poker with a small symbolic emblem at the end of it that glowed red hot.

"Demetre Draycott!" Tacoma spoke in benediction. "Do you adhere to the laws of the Savant Society and respect all there with in, dedicating yourself to its values and responsibilities for which we hold in testament?"

Demetre stood straight, facing Tacoma, he himself wearing a white robe of that of the Savant Society clergymen. "I swear," he said with conviction.

"Then hold out your left arm."

Demetre did so, pushing back the robe's sleeve, bearing a partially scarred limb where Zurn's whip marks had thrashed him only days before.

Tacoma nodded, and pressed the poker, the seal of the Savant Society, to Demetre's inner arm just above his wrist for three seconds, branding him. Demetre clenched his teeth for its duration, neither flinching nor wavering from the pain, his resolve showing his strength. Especially in front of Dana who stood next to him on the podium.

The brand sizzled and smoked into the muscle and then was removed. The symbol of the Savant Society was simplistic in design: an ourobuos. It was a snake that was said to devour itself for all eternality. Hence, association with the Savant Society and that with Geist and the Death Note was until his own death.

"_Until the death note is finished or the handler dies, whichever come first,_" Geist had explained him when all the rules of the Death Note were told to Demetre.

Demetre looked at the brand on his arm; it was small enough not to be noticed by the average person on the street, which was good. Like the so-called _Masons_of America, each person was branded with a small emblem indicating their indoctrination and association with the Soceity, and therefore were given special privileges. And Demetre was now one of them.

Tacoma returned the poker back into the pyre pit. "It is done," he said. Demetre's brow furrowed feeling the ache of burning muscle, but he tried not to show it as he turned around to face front, holding up his arm for all those attending to see.

"Let us all recite the sacred text of the brotherhood, accepting our newest brethren into the fold," Tacoma said. "Brother Draycott, will you lead us in the selected passage?"

Demetre nodded, and he began to recite the selected passage chosen for the ceremony from memory that Dana had taught him only the night before. He had a photographic memory, so he was able to speak each word with passion and conviction.

When the ceremony ended, the Council members with their respected Shinigami filed out of the hall, leaving Demetre and Dana standing alone on the podium.

Demetre smiled, proud of his decision to join and pleased that things went so well during the ceremony, and Dana hugged him. He grunted, his body still very sensitive from all the whip marks. She pulled back quickly. "I'm sorry. . ." she said sympathetically.

"It's all right," he said with a smile. "My body's felt nothing but pain for the last three days. Some comfort is a welcome change."

The empty hall was suddenly filled with what sounded like sardonic clapping, and they turned to see Zurn emerging from a darkened corner of the room.

"Welcome to the Savant Society, Draycott," Zurn said with a curious honest acceptance. "You passed the indoctrination with flying colors. Most people waver, even stutter their way through, when they recite that rather droll ancient select passage to solidify their initiation, but you spoke every word perfectly. I'm impressed. And it looks like you're even in favor with the Council. How nice for you."

Zurn's last words were obviously meant to be sardonic.

"You're one of us now." Zurn smirked. "Well, one of them, anyway."

"And what do you mean by that?"

"There is no pleasure without pain," Zurn said cryptically, is tone suddenly becoming serious. "But do not take your positively lightly. You make be well liked, but if you brake the rules again, I won't be so…_forgiving_."

"You threatening me, Zurn?"

"I never threaten and I never bluff, and whining to the Council about your torture hasn't changed anything. I'll continue to do what needs to be done."

"I'll remember that." Demetre gave Zurn dagger eyes.

And Zurn laughed. He then turned and left the hall without another word spoken.

Demetre growled. "Some men are evil incarnate, born from Lucifer's ass!"

"He can't harm you anymore," Dana said reassuringly. "The Council has forbidden it. He has been told."

Demetre looked into her green sprinkling eyes as they glittered by the torch light illuminating the room, but there was a sadness in them. And he knew Zurn's threat to continue in his ways would never stop, as was said.

Demetre had made an enemy in Zurn Wellington.

"Certain people bath in the suffering of others, and Zurn is one of them," he said. He looked back at the exit where Zurn had left. "And there are those who crave pleasure in the suffering of others. They believe they're beyond reproach, but all men eventually get what they deserve." He turned back to her. "But trust me when I say, if Zurn ever hurts you, Dana, I swear I'll relish in delivering upon him Hell's suffering!"

"Don't be like Light Yagami, please," she pleaded, hugging him tight, clamping her arms around his body.

Demetre's eyes widened as the pain of his wounds rippled through his body, his muscles tightening in reflex. But he suffered in silent, knowing she purposely did it, to show him the error of his thoughts.

_Revenge is not the Lord's way…_

And he made a mental oath that he would attempt to find other ways to deal with Zurn without relying on murder. Dana was right, he should not lower himself to Light Yagami's level.

But he vowed Zurn wouldn't win.

Zurn had started a war, and Demetre was determine to end up the victor.

* * *

To be continued...


	25. Zurn, the Untouchable!

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 24

* * *

Zurn exited into the outer hallway, watched briefly as the others left out of sight, and then walked several meters in the opposite direction to an empty junction and stopped.

Reaching underneath his white robe, the _uniform_ clothing of all the members of the _Society_ within the mansion, he took out his cell phone from a pouch on his belt, and pressed a button on the number face, speed dialing the contact.

It rang twice before the person answered.

"Zurn here," he said. "…Yes, that _dreg_Demetre Draycott was indoctrinated this evening… No, Light Yagami has not been located, but my spies are looking. According to my contacts at the NPA, he and his father took an unscheduled sabbatical... No, I don't believe it either, and there's only one person Light Yagami could be with."

He paused. "Oh, and on that '_other_' matter: the boy is proving more difficult to control, but I guarantee he will be ours…"

After some last minute instructions, Zurn ended the less than two minute call.

Putting his phone away, he proceeded back to the audience hall, where he saw Demetre and Dana leaving together in the opposite direction. They didn't appear to have noticed him, talking and smiling to each other, like an absorbent teenage couple.

He scowled. Despite his warning, Draycott still defied him coupling himself with Dana. Order must again be restored to the _Society_, he decided, and he was the one to do it!

He was ordered to keep a watchful eye on Demetre Draycott by his superior. And for purely personal reasons, he disliked the teenager even before he had even tortured the boy. Not only did the boy have a cocky and arrogant attitude - (proven also at length by the surveillance equipment he had put in the teen's home) - but even after being tortured for an hour, the boy still had the strength to face him with defiance in the audience hall.

Zurn was the _Society's_enforcer and demanded respect, even if that meant through fear. "I'll teach you to fear me, you little…" he muttered under his breath.

When Demetre and Dana were out of sight, Zurn once again turned to walk back down the corridor he had come. When suddenly he was halted in his tracks, coming face-to-face with another member of the _Society_, Adam. He had also attended the ceremony, Zurn remembered seeing him just off the main group standing in front of the podium.

The boy was Demetre's age, 19, and he also exhibited a similar stark of defiance, especially to Zurn. He had shaggy brown hair and was thin and lanky. He wore black trousers, a long sleeve dark loose fitting V-neck shirt, and white runners. Not the uniform clothing of the _Society_, most likely having removed it recently? His Shinigami was no where within sight.

Adam had joined the Society when he was eight years old and had been the youngest to do so. The circumstances of him joining were unusual, and if it wasn't for a certain council member - Tacoma - the boy wouldn't be here now. Adam was unlike other members of the Society. He had psychic abilities, and coupled with that with he had no Death Note. And yet, Cerberus had bonded with the boy. It was a strange situation.

The boy eyed Zurn emotionlessly with his head slightly cocked, but Zurn wondered if the boy was trying to read his mind with telepathy.

But there was no way Adam could read his mind. Zurn had strong mental defenses. The boy would get nothing, as was the case when Adam sighed in disappointment.

Zurn pointed to his temple. "Your attempts to invade my mind won't work, boy," he said with amusement. "Your powers are weak. That's what comes without a mentor."

Adam scowled. He wasn't very talkative, and when he did say something, it was very little. He was a recluse and stayed in his quarters, coming out for the smallest of interaction and the occasional meal.

Adam then smirked, and he gazed at something just behind Zurn.

Zurn turned sharply just as Cerberus appeared out of thin air like a spectre. He hated when Cerberus did that. The little poodle took a few steps towards Zurn and cocked its head, eyeing him in a curious manner. Cerberus had immense power, but to date, had not exhibited them in public or on other Shinigami or other Death Note holders. It was a written law of the Savant Society. And Cerberus obeyed this law, the compassionate Shinigami that it was…

Suddenly Cerberus growled, baring his teeth. But Zurn stood straight, unafraid.

"You think you frighten me, mutt? Think again." He turned back to Adam. The boy was no longer smiling. "Go back into hiding, boy; that is what you're good at, right? A coward's best trait. I have more important things to do than talk with a practicing mute and his weedy shape-changer. And don't forget, the Council has forbidden you from touching me after that incident you caused a few months back."

Adam scowled, obviously remembering. A few months back, Cerberus had attacked Zurn but failed to harm him do to an oversight. It was emotion that drove Cerberus for something Zurn had said about Adam - calling him a "sissy boy" because of Adam's less than masculate physical traits and saying he was too thin to be any kind of a true man; comparing Zurn's own muscular physique to Adam's reedy form.

Adam whistled for Cerberus to come to him. The Shinigami did, passing around Zurn slowly, but continuing to growl at him under its breath.

Besides, they both knew Zurn's Shinigami was watching and didn't dare attack the seemingly alone _Society_member, knowing of the consequences of last time. Cerberus was seriously harmed by Zurn's "protector" when Cerberus tried to attack him. Both Adam and Cerberus were warned.

"You remember the last time you tried to attack me? Prometheus taught you both a value lesson. Looks like you've learned from it. But of course, all you teenagers are all the same…so arrogant, thinking you're invincible. Think again. Anyone can die at any time for any reason. . ." Zurn snapped his fingers. "In the blink of an eye, it can all be over. You can touch me." Zurn laughed arrogantly.

Adam continued to eye him with disdain, but then decided to walked away.

Zurn snorted with a conceited smile. He had won this round, but he knew Adam still posed a threat with his powers. But with Prometheus - Zurn's Shinigami - forever watching in the shadows, it could strike Adam down like lightning if he tried anything.

"Brat!" Zurn said, and then left, walking down an adjacent hallway.

* * *

To be continued.


	26. Adam Gage and Cerberus

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 25

* * *

His name was Adam Gage, but everyone just called him Adam.

His name was also associative with (Biblical-wise) to his special gifts, because he was the first - and only member - in the _Society_to have them: Second sight, and use of telepathy (the ability to read minds) and telekinesis (the ability to move objects with his mind).

He first realized he had these abilities when he was a young child and he used them for his own selfish gain: stealing candy, comic books, and anything else he wanted. He also learned how he could manipulate people's minds and make them do whatever he wanted.

But it wasn't until he was confronted by Tacoma, one of the Twelve council members in the _Society_, one solemn day, that he was taught the error of his ways.

That was the day of "Awakening", he remembered it.

It was the day when he accidentally killed an elderly man, and a member of the Savant Society, as the man waited for a sign to change at a crosswalk where Adam just happened to be that day, in a busy shopping district in downtown Tokyo.

Adam had just exited a convenience store across from a four-way intersection after stealing a few chocolate bars, comic books and other assorted items, mentally blinding the clerk to his actions with his powers, when he saw Tacoma and the other man standing at a corner.

He didn't know who they were at the time, but at that time had a flash of amusement planned that would bring some fresh entertainment - and a chance to challenge his powers to a whole new level.

"_Let's play a game_," he remembered saying. "_A game of chicken, kinda._" He had seen such a thing in an old movie that was playing on TV. Two cars raced towards each other and whoever stopped first to avoid a collision was the chicken.

He recalled: When the sign flashed green for pedestrians to walk, he mentally inserted the sudden "need" for the elderly man to walk into opposing traffic instead playing chicken with the cars. While the elderly man walked against traffic, cars honked at him. And it was amazing just how the lucky the man was not being hit.

He remembered Tacoma shouting at his friend to come back, but Adam had planted the seed to do this and the man had to blindly follow them. This meant the man's mind was weak and easily controllable.

After a few startling close calls, Adam had decided to pull the elderly man back feeling it no longer amused him.

But his actions were too late.

The man walked into the path of a speeding car, a car Adam thought he could stop with his powers, rescued like by some omniscient god…

But something went wrong, and his powers suddenly generated a "glitch".

The man suddenly awoke from his "blindness" as he stood in the middle of the street dazed and confused.

Adam tried to bring him back to a safe spot, but his powers refused to obey once more, as if cut off, and the man was hit head-on by a motorist driving way too fast, taking on his cell phone.

Adam Gage thought he had the power of God at his fingertips...

The man's body exploded into shards of meat and scattered into a multitude of directions, blown everywhere.

It was a terrifying, horrifying accident!

There were terrible screams by witnesses. And even today, recalling that day, those screams still haunted him.

Vehicles tried to skid to a halt, or weave uncontrollably to avoid the carnage, some bouncing over sidewalks and hitting objects or crashed into each other causing traffic jams. And there were even further fatalities. And some middle-aged heavy man later died of a heart attack in hospital brought on by witnessing the accident.

And all Adam did was watch, froze in fear at what he had caused. His powers refusing to obey him. It almost seemed like Karma was playing some sort of cruel joke to teach him a lesson on how not to abuse his powers. If so, it didn't have to be such a brutal lesson - with innocent people dying!

Similar to a Shinigami that drop their Death Note to the human world and wait for some unsuspecting person to pick it up and use it melodiously -

On this day, Adam Gage had become a god of death. He had caused the death of six innocent people and mentally scarred countless others. And all because he wanted some amusement.

No one knew he had done it.

Except one person: Tacoma.

Adam couldn't explain it then, but Tacoma had immediately turned at looked at him just after the carnage began. Chocolate bars, comic books, and other assorted items all scattered on the ground around him. And Tacoma had come to him.

He met Tacoma's eyes, his powers suddenly returning, sensing the other's gaze of incrimination and mindfulness.

And the guilt of what he'd done overwhelmed him to tears, streaming down his cheeks, his legs collapsing from underneath him, dropping him to his knees.

Adam cried.

But Tacoma had hugged him and without prejudice or hatred, comforting him.

Only eight years old, bystanders probably thought the horror of witnessing such an accident caused him to breakdown, and Tacoma was merely comforting him.

Adam couldn't apologize enough, and he wanted to turn himself in. But Tacoma had convinced him that it would be unwise, that the authorities wouldn't believe him.

And after Adam revealed his secret, that that he had been the cause of the accident, Tacoma then revealed a secret of his own: that he belonged to the Savant Society. And he wanted Adam to join.

In profile: Adam was a troubled child, fostered at a young age when his parents were, ironically killed in a car accident when he was five. Going through many foster homes, Adam finally just ran away and used his powers to live on the street to survive, living off what he could steal, and sleeping wherever he liked without reservation.

Tacoma said with mentoring and guidance, Adam could be use his powers for a good cause. It sounded cliché, but Adam agreed, and vowed to do anything to repent for his sins.

He returned with Tacoma back to the Savant Mansion and took the "_Ceremony of Introduction_", becoming the youngest member ever to join. And learned that he had unwittingly and symbiotically bonded with a Shinigami years before even though he wasn't in possession of a Death Note, whom had give him his _psychic_powers.

And who really caused the accident by negating his powers for a moment when the accident occurred. Cerberus had been the one who taught him the lesson, watching from within.

But Adam didn't blame the Shinigami. He blamed himself. It had been his idea to send the man out into traffic knowing full what could have happened, deluded that he could play god.

Cererbus, as the Shinigami called itself, had been inhabiting Adam's body, thus allowing him to utilize the Shinigami's special abilities for petty things.

The Shinigami apologized for using him and offered to leave him, but Adam refused, excepting its presence inside him, because whenever it did leave, even for a short period - or decided to 'have an adventure' outside his body - Adam always felt a deep emptiness.

In exchange for their symbiotic relationship, Cerberus allowed Adam to use its special gifts, but only at a diminished level.

Cerberus was very powerful, and as the old axiom cites: 'absolute power corrupts'. And that fell true in the case of Light Yagami who used his Death Note to play demi-god.

But why Cerberus chose Adam in the first was still a mystery. And how he managed to come to the human world from the distant past was equally confounding.

According to brief images from Cerberus's mind, one day he was just playing around in the Shinigami Realm, and then the next, after falling into a time rift, found himself in the human world, and secretly took refugee inside a human, afraid of what he saw.

As far as Adam could gather, their 'energy signatures' were synchronized which was what probably attracted Cerberus, which may or may not have been the reason Cerberus chose to bond with Adam even without the use of a Death Note.

But that was all Adam could retrieve from his tiny Shinigami's mind. And to him, how or why didn't matter. Cerberus and he were bonded by a relationship that went beyond Shinigami/Human. Beyond the normal Death Note association. Which made it special.

Other glimpses inside Cerberus's mind gave Adam hints of the Shinigami's possible time origins - and that it was ancient, even to the Shinigami time line. And yet, it acted as if it were merely a youngling with lots of energy.

Cererbus was unique, as far as any of the other Shinigami knew. And because of its skills, he was given the Savant mansion's official title of "Protector", even though to date, he hadn't needed to protect it from anyone or anything. The mansion was perfectly secluded in the high mountains of Japan.

It shared a special bond with Adam, and like a faithful pet, Adam couldn't remember a day without Cerberus, despite it sometimes wandering off to play when it was bored. And Adam always knew when it had done so, often having to seek it out, like a game of cat and mouse. Which just happened to be one of Cerberus's favorite games to play -

Which was why Adam was in the corridor now.

The Shinigami - its favorite changling appearance as a tiny grey poodle, probably because it looked so timid looking (a far cry of its true potential) - looked up at Adam and smiled crookedly. It barked once, and Adam picked it up and cradled Cerberus in his arms.

With their mental link now fully established with touch, Adam immediately felt the deep emptiness inside him vanish.

And he read the dog's mind, gazing into his eyes.

"I know." Adam nodded, looking back at a departing Zurn. "He's an evil man."

The Shinigami had a simple mind. Cerberus didn't think in words but in images. Cerberus thought of something bad about Zurn, for which Adam immediately put into words.

"Something must be done about him."

Cerberus nodded. Then cocked his head slightly and barked once again.

Adam looked back at the Shinigami and smiled, once reading Cerberus's thoughts. And it made him laugh.

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a jelly bean, a yellow one, and fed it to Cerberus. It was all the Shinigami ate. He had a real sweet tooth. And it liked the color yellow, so Cerberus ate nothing but yellow jelly beans.

As did Adam. And he wondered if the Shinigami has adopted some of Adam's own personality traits and likes, them being host/symbioite for so many years.

Adam retrieved a jelly bean for himself and popped it in his mouth. He liked yellow ones too.

A thought struck him and his brow furrowed, as he thought about something the recent ceremony for which he had attended.

In retrospect, throughout the ceremony in the _praxeum_, Adam had felt a hidden, and yet unexplained anger deep inside Demetre Draycott as he watched the teenage receive his indoctrination in the _Society_in the podium. Demetre was a good person, but there was just something about the guy that concerned Adam, and he didn't know why.

Obvious anger towards Zurn for what he had done to Demetre was there, but there was something else. Also, Adam could sense a strong dislike towards Shinigami or rather the act of playing god with people's lives. But then why had he bond with one? Or had been just a happenstance like most owners of Death Notes?

Adam also sensed a heartfelt sadness in Demetre in connection with Kira. Light Yagami and Demetre were childhood friends, he learned from Tacoma. While Adam didn't have any friends when growing up, just associations with members of the _Society_, he could honestly feel the emotional bond between the two friends. And that was the connection, Adam concluded. That the Death Note had turned Demetre's friend to a "_dark side_", and Demetre hated the Shinigami for that…

Then why join the Savant Society? It didn't mean sense.

Cerberus whined sorrowfully, as if sensing Adam's mental anguish.

"I don't know, Cerberus," he said. "But it's definitely worth pursuing."

Cerberus cocked his head slightly, and Adam's brow furrow momentarily when a mental image appeared.

"I know," Adam said. "I find it difficult to read his mind. Very difficult. Demetre Draycott definitely has some hidden agenda here."

Cerberus whined softly.

Adam smiled. "But I don't think we need to worry. It's Zurn we need to watch right now. He's the immediate threat."

Threat? Why would he think that? His powers outweighed anything Zurn had in his manipulative, influential arsenal.

But something not exactly worried him but concerned him about Zurn. The man was mentally unstable and a man with that much psychological instability was definitely dangerous.

Adam sensed, by his very actions and mentality alone, that Zurn was a very tortured person himself, metaphysically. Despite holding a job as an NPA detective, he was haunted by something Adam couldn't identify. And it controlled him to obsession, which could explain his need to seek power over others, Adam wondered.

When Adam had first arrived at the Savant Mansion, he, much like many others, had been subjected to Zurn's "special greeting", namely torture.

In fact, it was something he'd rather not remember. It was a child's hurting, and one he didn't understand why he was receiving at the time. It felt weird, was invasive, and to this day no one knew about it except for himself and Cerberus. But if it every got out, it would destroy Zurn. But Adam couldn't do anything about it or Prometheus would kill him.

But one day, he vowed, Zurn would pay!

Neither one of them could touch the other, attack the other; the Council forbid it. Nevertheless, Zurn continued his taunts and threats; and that his Shinigami: Prometheus could kill him on a whim.

Prometheus was powerful. The Shinigami was hefty and intelligent, and looked like a massive demonic dragon when fully drawn. It could phase-shift in between dimensions, thus it could stay akin with the human world and the Shinigami realm simultaneously watching over Zurn like a protector.

But every Shinigami heeded to the same rule: 'Kill to save your handler and you die!' And no Shinigami was willing to risk extermination. Not even Prometheus. Yet, harming a human wasn't beyond the rules, so in that sense, Zurn's threats did have merit.

Protecting your handler without using the Death Note was also acceptable.

And so, that's where Cerberus came in. Cerberus was just as powerful as Prometheus despite his minute size.

Prometheus had not attacked Adam or Cerberus as of yet, but Adam knew there 'would' come a time when Zurn would order it outside _Society_ law, and if he ever did, the Council would have a fit. Infighting was strictly forbidden and if the charges were severe enough, it was grounds for banishment from the _Society_ and the Death Note removal from its handler. _Their _one incident was borderline and was summarily probationized. But if another incident occurred, they'd both be punished severely.

The rule was made written law after the incident with the well known "_Fallen_". The one and only member who had been banished for that very cause. He was the member who's name wasn't to be spoken out loud after all the chaos he had caused. And for whom everyone suspected, but unproven, Zurn was in league with.

But the "_Fallen_" had not been killed or had his memories erased or his Death Note taken, which Adam found interesting. (And he continued to wreak havoc on the _Society_ in silent revenge in his own way).

There were many ways to kill a person without using a Death Note. But the "Fallen's" Shinigami would observe that treachery and take appropriate action. And no one wanted a war.

(A similar war that devastated the landscape of the Shinigami realm thousands of years before.)

Zurn considered himself untouchable, and the Council could do very little to hold Zurn to the "rule of law" as its enforcer, which, with the title, gave its holder unlimited power and reason to supersede any law if doing so as long as he protected the sanctity and civility of the _Society,_per laid down by Joseph Savant, who established the Savant Society hundreds of years ago.

And that even meant torture.

Zurn's "torture room" was in the deepest fathoms of the Monastery. A room he built and maintained, but that the Council strictly condemned as inhumane, especially with all the torture devices therein.

Zurn's "enforcer" title was for life, much like membership in the Savant Society. So the Council was unable to admonish it, much to their regret.

From what Tacoma had told him, when Zurn first joined the Society, he was a caring and gentle man, and given the title because of his dutifulness as a cop. The Council thought Zurn was best suited for it. And in the beginning, Zurn upheld any unlawfulness with dignity and respect. His mere presence, in fact, along with Prometheus was enough to reestablish order.

It wasn't until soon after when he began to change. And it just happened to coincide with the 'dismissal' of the "Fallen", which Zurn was very upset about, because the "Fallen" had invited him to join the Society after Prometheus had bonded with Zurn. The "Fallen" had also been like a mentor to Zurn, teaching him everything about the _Society_, even residing over his indoctrination.

After the "Fallen's" exit, Zurn began to get more aggressive and would start to physically abuse any law breakers even for minor offensives - as if in revenge for what the _Society_did to his mentor. He would determine and administer punishment even without consulting the Council on the proper course of action.

Zurn saw himself as judge, jury and _executioner_.

Power and arrogance began to corrupt him further, and he'd start to administer his torture sessions, as both punishment and a scare tactic to evoke fear in others, to obey the laws slated down by Joseph Savant. Outdated laws, but written laws nonetheless, much like America's _Declaration of Independence_, which Zurn maliciously studied and studiously followed as if worded down by God.

And now, with regret, Zurn was too powerful for anyone to control. Or so he thought.

No one was untouchable, Adam concluded. _No one._

* * *

To be continued.


	27. Light's Savant Ancestry Revealed

DEATH NOTE - THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR - CHAPTER 26

* * *

With the Kira taskforce occupied with other things and summarily other police work due to the Kira case being pretty quiet, L opted to continue the Q & A game with Light.

They'd been interrupted with the arrival of the taskforce initially the first day and for whatever reason hadn't continued or didn't have the time until now.

Now they were again alone.

They'd stopped at a crucial point in the game, in L's opinion, and he was eager to have his last question answered. It was such a vital question, that he hadn't thought about anything else but what Light would say to it, even giving the taskforce round about tasks to complete that would or would not be beneficial to the Kira case just to get them away.

The game had been foremost on his mind. Ironically, games should've be the last thing on his mind. The Kira case was certainly not a game.

Unfortunately, Light Yagami looked to have fallen asleep in his cell. He lay on the floor, handcuffed with his back to the camera.

L stared at the camera, but Light hadn't been sleeping well lately. Stress of being accused of Kira and/or the overall situation had more or less kept Light awake. Maybe he had finally calmed down and was getting some well needed rest?

Light suddenly shifted his body and looked at the camera, or tried to, with his hair plastered across his face. He wiggled up to a sitting position and whipped his head around to throw his hair out of his eyes.

Light's hair had grown several inches since he had been incarcerated, and L thought that was remarkable. Light's hair grew so fast.

"I thought you'd be sleeping since you haven't been able to do so lately," said L, his voice reverberated through the speaker.

Light looked tired, and he had bags under his eyes. "Insomnia."

"Normally when I can't sleep, there's something on my mind. Care to confess something? Ease your mind?"

"I'm not Kira!" Light snapped.

"Very well," L said plainly.

"Shall we continue where we left off in the game?" he asked Light.

"The taskforce isn't here at the moment?" Light asked. L confirmed such. "So I think now would be an acceptable time do so."

"Agreed," said L. "The game is only between us. The taskforce need not be privy to it. Not like we're hiding anything," he said defensively.

"That's not what I meant."

"I know. Okay. If I recall, I asked you why you felt bored?"

"Honestly and simply, I suppose life isn't providing me with enough challenges. Things just seem to come easy for me."

"That's very arrogant, especially when you're sitting in a jail cell."

"I'm referring to before all this Kira stuff. I felt bored in school and of life in general. I wanted a worthy challenge."

"And so you struck a bond with a Shinigami to give you supernatural powers beyond your wildest dreams and used them to kill without restraint?"

Light's eyes narrowed with disdain. "You know, _you're_starting to become boring, repeatedly accusing me of being someone or something I'm not and have never been."

"Sometimes annoyance is the best method to get a confession. Annoy the person enough and he'll confess his crime just so he'll won't be subjected to the same question again."

"Well, that won't work with me."

"I see. Yes; you're tolerance is greater and you're remarkably strong willed. Most people would crack with the treatment you're receiving."

"I'm innocent, so I keep my cool. A calm mind is a logical mind. I want to help you find Kira, if you'd let me?"

L didn't reply to Light's question. "You said something about life being easy for you." He worded it as a statement instead of a question.

"Yes," said replied. "Most people strive to have half what I was given naturally: brains and good looks."

"Attitude is what allies itself with a person's psyche to give them perception of what is," L said philosophically. "A person can find any aspect of a person, so to speak, sexy or good looking. Some people would say you're ugly."

"And they'd be wrong. I'm the quintessential equivalent of a person with movie star sex appeal. I remember over hearing some of the To Oh university student body comparing us - that I looked like someone bred for success and you a mad genius type."

"Yes, I seem to have overheard the same thing," L said straightly. "But I don't concern myself with other's opinions. Self worth is paramount to one's own mental health. And proper diet and exercise helps the body too."

"Which begs a very interesting question... How come you eat so many sweets and never gain weight?"

L hesitated for a moment. He wasn't sure if he wanted to reveal such personal information. He did anyway. "Quite simple. Sweets help stabilize my blood sugar."

"Oh." A surprise look came to Light's face on the monitor L watched. "Low blood sugar usually indicates diabetes," Light said soberly.

"No," L answered. "It's a thyroid problem. It's been medically checked." He realized immediately that he had said that quite tartly.

"But what if something happens to you? Don't you want people to know what happened? And no, these are not part of the Q & A. I'm generally concerned for your well-being."

"You needn't be worried. If something happens to me, things will be taken care of. Watari will see to it."

"Do you have a successor?"

That would be a dangerous piece of information to reveal especially if Light was indeed Kira, which, strangely enough, was starting to seem to L less and less as their game pressed on.

"I think we've deviated from the game. Let's return to it." Avoiding the question.

"Okay," Light agreed, however somewhat reluctantly.

"If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?" L asked.

"I'd most likely wish I was more confident."

"You appear to have an abundance of confidence. I don't see that being a disadvantage for you. But having power over others can do that."

"Do I really need to repeat myself?"

"Yes... you've already stated you're not Kira. You seem completely adamant about it. But if I were you and I was suddenly given a god power, I'd be tempted to change the world, too. Crime, corruption, and injustice. It's what I live to change. But it's a fantasy to think I can do more than I can."

"We can only do what we can; nothing more, nothing less," Light said. "It'd be foolish not to admit that our justice system is perfect."

"And I would agree. Your turn. The score is tied 10 all. Ask another question of me."

"What was your childhood like?" Light asked with a certain caution to his tone.

Asking L's real name was forbidden in the game, and asking about his past was equally risky. But L found himself answering it without hesitation. "In retrospect, I felt it was very stagnate. Living in an orphanage isn't a pleasant experience. Not like having parental figures. You miss out on a lot, and your family history is non-existent."

"Then you make a new history," said Light. "Many people would feel free, unburdened by the accomplishments of their parents or grandparents. You'd think you'd need to step up and continue already established traditions or bring shame to your family."

"You give it such a majestic edge," said L musing. "But you're wrong about one thing notwithstanding. Everyone is basically the same. They all want to know their heritage. It gives them a sense of self-worth. Your parents must have told you about your ancestors?"

"Of course. But the Yagami family doesn't have a long history. The Yagami name originated in Japan, but a member of our family on my mother's side actually immigrated from England, and one of his descendants married into the name." Light paused for a moment. "I think his name was Savant, or something?"

L felt a chill run down his spine. "Did you say Savant?"

Light nodded. His brow furrowed, thinking. "I think that was his name? I'd have to ask my mother."

"Joseph Savant?" L asked with a degree of serious inquiry.

"Yes, I believe so. It does sound familiar. I was told he was a little crazy and worshipped satanic gods, or something. He was heavily into cults. That does not mean I am..."

Light's voice trailed off as L suddenly ignored him, as he searched a folder on his computer desktop labeled "Special Files". He had asked Watari a couple of weeks ago to send him the files because he wanted to review something.

When he was after Kira, he searched cults and satanic worship, thinking Kira may have had a connection to them, which could've contributed to his supernatural powers.

The special files contained information on a cultist group called the _Society_, also known as the Savant Society, founded hundreds of years ago by a man named Joseph Savant. Now, if Light _was_ somehow related to this man, it could be a missing piece of the puzzle L needed to fully understand why a Shinigami, as such, would associate itself with him, giving him deathly powers. Cults were associated with communicating with and conjuring up demons and spirits.

Or, it could just be a coincidence? And Light is mistaken about his heritage?

From what L could recall from the files, members of the _Society_, and other cults of this nature, and similar to the _Masons_in America, were said to have great influential reach within all branches of government and political circles, while keeping their associations secret from the world.

If Light had somehow been working with the _Society_ while he was Kira up until he agreed to turn himself in, then that would explain, no matter how ridiculous sounding, why Light then lost his _powers_after being incarcerated, erasing his memory of them, by some method of mind control, so he couldn't expose them. If he couldn't kill within a certain amount days, something would be triggered to make him forget he was Kira.

No, he reaching again, L admonished himself. It's all theory and conjecture. He needed evidence.

He finally noticed Light had stopped talking. "What's wrong, Ryuzaki?" asked Light. "You're quiet."

L shook all controversial ideas out of his head. He was a detective. His conclusions were based on fact and concrete evidence, not cultist conjecture. "What do you know about your ancestor, Joseph Savant?"

"Not sure. I do seem to recall he was a brilliant philanthropist and financial genius, earning capital to purchase and convert a large Monastery once owned by Buddhist monks into a private residence. It still exists, in fact. Pristine, well kept up, and lived in."

"Yes, and run by some cultist group known as the _Society_."

"Really? I didn't know that. What is this cult group?"

"It's basically a religious group, but very little is known about it. It also has another name: the Savant Society."

"You're joking?" Light's eyes widened in surprise.

"You may have stretched the Kira case in another direction with this new information. Frankly, the case had gone cold."

"Do you think Kira can be a member of the _Society_?"

"He may or not be or have been," L said, wondering. "That's privileged information now." L's tone suddenly became very cold, and his mind was now beginning to focus the Kira case in a whole new direction.

"But I want to help!" Light protested.

"You've already did, perhaps tremendously."

"How?"

But L suddenly muted the audio. He wanted to think. Light's mouth was moving, but L paid no attention to him anymore.

Light had provided an interesting path in which to proceed.

The Kira case had grown cold. But Light's unexpected ancestry had provided some fire back into it. And L decided he wouldn't tell the taskforce about it, or Light's father. They'd only panic. And he needed them level-headed; not focused on one thing. He would of course inform Watari, his most trusted confidant.

But he needed more information. And he didn't dare speculate on anything right now. It was too easy to let his mind snowflake with crazy ideas.

Light Yagami's personality was conclusively different from that of what L had observed of Kira, but he still had doubts whether Light and Misa's memory loss was truly sincere or both were conspiring to play him like a fool.

Nevertheless, he'd keep them both here until he was totally convinced of their innocence, if it came to that. And that, if at all, could take a very long time.

Light was now screaming at him on the monitor, obviously aggravated and angry, aware that he was being ignored.

This was the most bizarre case L had ever undertaken and now it seemed it had just gotten a whole lot bigger.

But he was L, the world's greatest detective, regardless of his arrogant that sounded. And there was no case he couldn't solve!

* * *

To be continued...

AND ON HAITUS UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE.


	28. Freedom?

DEATH NOTE – THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR – CHAPTER 27

The Shinigami King; The Almighty; the Supreme Lord of Time and Space; and a handful of other pen names bestowed upon him over the eons by Shinigami and alike; sat in his high throne constructed of long dead Shinigami bones and weaved with a symmetry of unbreakable gold fiber that was besieged as a testament to his regal status.

He was a very big Shinigami in both stature and bulk and accentee with a thick skeletal structure with pieces of decaying flesh intertwine within a gold full, body armor.

In his left hand gripped with boney fingers inside golden caps, he held a gold staff with an angelic demon on top with its wings outstretched as if to take flight. Over his face, the Shinigami King, wore a golden mask of exquisite design that made even Justin with all his encrusted jewels all over his own body jealous.

He was the Shinigami King, an intimidating figure of this realm. And his name clout power in many other dimensions where death was paramount. His appearance struck fear. And his rule of law was absolute from every Shinigami that resided in this realm.

Tapping fingers of his right hand on the arm rest of his chair, he mused thoughtfully as he gazed longingly into the large black Ob, also known as 'the hole in the world' that sat before him, playing out the events in the Human world in real time where both Shinigami and humans interacted like ill-fretful brethren.

This was not tolerable.

The Savant Society; Kira. The world had been turned chaotic and fearful in the tirade in light of one human's mass killings - Light Yagami -with the Death Note Ryuk had dropped into the Human realm. Accidentally or purposefully, that had yet to be resolved...

Ryuk. One of the troublemaker's the Shinigami King on more than one occasion had to discipline for disobeying Shinigami law.

Kira was Ryuk's fault. Misa was Rem's fault. Rem was Gelus's fault. There was a whole cascade of blame to be lain.

And now Geist! Well, he'd have to deal with this new Shinigami soon enough. He hadn't caused any chaos yet, but something about his actions - and his human pet - was interesting to watch. Instead of the exploits of Light Yagami, this human – Demetre Draycott – seemed to have his own agenda, who know had joined the Savant Society. This human had only killed once to save his own life, while 'Kira', as the Human population was calling him, had murdered hundreds for his own ambition.

The ever rebel. Geist. Even from the beginning, he'd been troublesome. A rebel with a cause, he put it. He passed the 1000 year training cycle to become a full-fledged Shinigami to get his Death Note. It was the standard cycle set for all Shinigami. But even then, he had been defiant – questioning Shinigami law.

And now, stole a second Death Note from another Shinigami to play this little game of his, like Ryuk - a game that could dismantle the very fabric of space and time to its core, and sooner than prophezied. . .

Geist said he wanted to change things in the Human world, whatever that meant. But he was a Shinigami, and there were laws that he needed to abide to, or he'd risk his own extinction.

As the Shinigami King gazed deep into the massive Ob, he looked on with interest. Things were getting out of control in the Human world. There were too many Shinigami involved in human affairs. There should only be six Shinigami and six Death Notes in the Human world at any given time; that was law. But with the Savant Society, latitude he gave to this cultist group of individuals for personal reasons. And now with Ryuk, Rem and Geist, and hundreds of humans dying at a frantic rate – something had to be done.

Tapping his fingers, he mused further. Something had to be done with all this chaos in the Human World. Shinigami kill humans to extend their life spans; they don't befriend them. If need be, the Shinigami King would get involved personally and revoke all contracts, kill all humans involved, and close off the gateway to the Human world forever.

For now, he'd just watch and see what transpired, wondering how certain events and affairs would play out. It could be entertaining.

+ + +

In reflection, Light Yagami felt unnerved and a little angry. He couldn't believe that his father would participate in such a shocking masquerade perpetrated by L that would frighten him to near death. But truthfully, the ends did justify the means.

It proved that he was not Kira.

But having his father's gun pointed in his face still left him a little shaken. And his father pulling the trigger despite using blanks shocked him. What if something had gone wrong? The bullet was accidentally real, his father's gun backfired, or any number of things that could have unintentionally caused them their lives for a stupid stunt.

Told he and Misa were to be executed for being suspected of Kira even though there wasn't an ounce of proof, Light's father drove them to a secluded spot for a private killing. When the playacting ended, and certain truths were revealed, a previous deal was realized.

L, his word his bond, so to speak, he said, by their deaths - Kira would cease to be. And L could close the case. So, a mock staging of an assassination would to take place. And with L watching via camera, he'd finally get the proof he needed.

In the back of his father's car, handcuffed, Light passed the test. If he was Kira, or Misa was the Second Kira, survival would be paramount and he or Misa would kill for self-preservation. This was L's theory. But it didn't happen the way L envisioned it. Therefore, Light and Misa were freed on a few conditions, and a partnership was struck.

Shaking hands to cement this partnership, Light agreed to join the taskforce to hunt down Kira, as the killings had now continued, but by way of another Kira – a Third Kira.

It had been theorized that Kira's power was transferable. So, no matter what, it was an unending chase to catch the 'next' Kira, and L still didn't know how Kira made his killings. It was back to square one.

But L still held true to his original conviction that Light was Kira, despite not knowing how he got Kira's power or his method of killing. And to Light, being suspected of being a mass murderer was something he desperately wanted to annul himself of. He knew 100% that he was NOT Kira!

It had been nearly two months since Light's incarceration by L and Light had felt mentally and physically drained when imprisoned and had doubts whether the vitality of L's accusation that he was Kira was true. Light hated self-doubt. Light wanted to know how Kira killed, and how would such a person obtain such supernatural power? Indeed, these were two similar questions L was trying to answer.

Foremost, how could he help Ryuzaki take some of the pressure off his father, who looked tired and was still recovering from mild stress-induced heart attack that was turning his father's hair white with far too much anxiety and worry.

Light wanted to prove to Ryuzaki his innocence, catch Kira, and then have his father take a nice long vacation, while he went back to school to finish university, so he could join the NPA.

Light felt energized. Now he could finally be able to accomplish something, instead of rotting away in that makeshift cell playing twenty questions with Ryuzaki.

But freedom had a price and Ryuzaki thought it best to attach himself to Light by a ten foot long piece of chain attached to matching handcuffs.

Misa objected, but Light relented, otherwise it was back to his cell.

"With modern technology," Light said, looking at the medieval handcuffs, "an ankle bracket or some sort of tracing GPS device under the skin would suffice. But beggars can't be choosers."

"No, that can't," L retorted. "I prefer a basic approach to things. Simplify things to the point of a near zero percentage of error. Technology can be hacked, manipulated, as you're most likely aware." Light knew L was referring to how he was able to easily hack into his father's home network computer and that of the NPA mainframe. "A chain attached to two people has only two methods of escape. Unlock it or cut it. Simple. Either way, impossible for the other not to notice."

"It will be an inconvenience in certain regards, especially when it comes to privacy," Light remarked. "But I accepted it. I promised to work with you on the Kira case handcuffed. And I'll catch Kira."

"That's a bold statement." L smiled thinly, which he rarely did. "I like your positive attitude. I find it infectious. Let me show you something that might help us."

L showed Light and the taskforce a computer simulation of 26 foot high-rise building just recently erected. It wasn't fully complete, but it was housed downtown and build to appear like a simple office building, and it would be the Kira taskforce's new de facto headquarters. And it world house state-of-the-technology to aid them in their strive to catch Kira.

One week later, they moved in. And the accommodations were luxurious.

But Light was more mesmerized by the computer network that Watari set up than anything else. Their work area was spacious, almost lofty in appearance with furniture set aside if they needed to relax. The building had central air and video surveillance.

But he learnt he'd have to be sharing a room with Ryuzaki, which didn't make Light happy. Nor did it make Misa happy.

Light and Ryuzaki were to stay together 24/7. Ryuzaki said he wouldn't take the handcuffs off for anything. And he meant anything.

But once things were settled down, as well as people and emotions - Light, Misa and Ryuzaki sat together in a furnished room that was under surveillance by the rest of the taskforce elsewhere in the building.

Misa referred to this get together as her and Light's first official date, but with all three of them together, the old axiom rang true: 'three was a crowd'.

And she started to pout.

Ryuzaki disliked Misa's emotional outbursts. He thought they were both unbecoming of such a famous celebrity and a woman who believed she had found the guy of her dreams – wanting all his attention. She was obviously a very jealous person.

Yet, there was something not of love in her eyes that told Ryuzaki only of her admiration of Kira, despite her blatantly saying so.

Misa's parents were killed by a burglar, Kira murdered her parents killer with a heart attack; it was called Stockholm Syndrome, an English term where the victim of a crime falls in love with her captor. The captor being Kira indirectly involved with saving her from a life of despair. And Light being Kira, she loved him.

Misa cuddled up to Light's right side, putting one arm under his arm as they sat on a couch, her emotions instantly changing.

L found it fascinating the vast array of emotions this woman could exhibit in a short period of time. She was literally an explosion of emotional chaos and was a perfect candidate for Kira's manipulations.

Light's eyes widened nervously. This infatuation was a one sided deal. It was obvious that Light had no feelings towards Misa. He didn't even remember how they met. It was like she just appeared out of the blue, that she had at one time been a part of his life, but now he had forgotten her, much like forgetting about being Kira.

Light appeared to give Misa the cold shoulder and out of protest pride herself away from Light and moved over to another couch opposite him, and pouted some more.

She crossed her arms across her chest and said, "Your weird vibes must be affecting Light," directly the statement to L. She looked at the handcuffs and chain that bonded Light and L. "He's ignoring me!"

"I'm not ignoring you, Misa," Light said back. However, he did wish for her to go away for the moment so he could talk with Ryuzaki alone.

"I want you to be close to me, Light," she said. "What's the part in being boyfriend and girlfriend, if you want pay attention to me?"

L observed Light's hesitation. He had always seen Light be quick witted when it came to others, but Misa seemed to throw him for a loop. Misa jumped back onto the couch, wrapped her arm around Light's arm and squeezed. And with a brief glance over, L stopped himself from smirking to see Light so utterly speechless and helpless in the hands of this overly obsessive woman.

"If it wasn't for these stupid handcuffs, we could be alone." Misa gave L an angry look. "I see, you want Light all for yourself! I never knew you were like that - "

L cocked his head slightly and sighed. He knew the immediately connation to homosexuality, but ignored giving a bantered response. Misa was immature, and to engage in an immature conversion would only be fruitless. He reached for a plate of cake on the coffee table in front of him, cut off a piece with a fork, and ate it.

"Light, make Misa be quiet," he then said conversationally.

But the idea of being alone seemed appealing to L at the moment because he was feeling depressed.

He had told them factually that he wanted both of them to be Kira and the Second Kira so he could close the case. He felt so strongly about his conviction that he had broken a cardinal rule of his and got personally involved. Now, despite everything he had gone through, all his theories and conjectures, he had doubts in his own abilities, and this is what depressed him.

Light Yagami and Misa Amane's personalities were so much different now from before that their previous profiles were a scratch. The way they were acting now was either a very good secular act or they had really forgotten everything they had done, and if this was the case, then it was back to square one, and that depressed him further.

He really didn't know what his next move was.

To be continued.


	29. The Search is on for a New Kira

DEATH NOTE – THE DRAYCOTT FACTOR – CH 28

* * *

Light could see that L was despondent and attempted to cheer him up with some words of encouragement. Unfortunately they didn't work.

L hadn't said anything for the last two minutes. All he did was stare into space with a fork in his mouth after his last bite of cake.

It was obvious what L was doing. L pretended to be thinking, but in truth, the detective was sulking.

"Ryuzaki..."

"Mm?"

L turned to Light, and was met with a hard right cross to the left side of his face.

It caught the genius detective off guard and the momentum launched him off the couch and to the floor some distance from the couch.

However, this in turn - not realizing his own strength from the power of the punch and the short length of the chain - also yanked Light Yagami along with him to the floor, and they both crashed hard upon the hardwood flooring.

L rubbed the side of his face. There had been a lot of anger in that punch, he mused.

L recovered quickly, and so did Light.

Light had a determined stare, an ill-regret stare for what he'd just done. It was almost a look of hatred, but at the same time not.

_How__interesting,_L mused. But he hated to lose. "An eye for an eye, Light Yagami!"

With a swift upper kick, L retaliated and sent Light crooning backwards, the momentum pulled the other, and both landed with a devastating crash on the nearest couch, turning it over on its side.

L's cake went flying that had been sitting on the coffee table and landed with a spat! on the floor grossing Misa out.

"_I'm__not__Kira_!" Light protested, as if responding to L's unsaid thought. The genius could not get over his mishandling of the Kira case, convinced that he had beaten Kira, and over the last couple of days had receded deeper into a depression. Light got back to his feet and grabbed at Ryuzaki's shirt, balling a fist.

L returned in kind, grabbing Light's shirt, and balled a fist. He had never been a physical one; he preferred to use his mind to end problems, not mindless violence. But Light obviously wanted to settle some issues through this venture. And L was only happy to oblige. Which only played to his doubts that Light was no longer Kira. Kira, the one L knew, would never resort to such contemptible barbarism.

"Stop!" Misa screamed.

The phone rang.

All three glanced down at the phone on the floor, put there or fell there when the fighting began with the receiver still on.

Light reluctantly let go of Ryuzaki to allow him to answer it. The call might be important. In his usual delicate, weird, two finger manner, L picked up the receiver and listened.

The detective groaned with contempt; from what Light could hear it was not important. Something about the call both annoyed and irritated L; the expression on his face was evidence of that. He dropped the receiver back onto the phone and turned back to Light.

"Who was it?" demanded Light.

L sighed. "Matsada...being stupid again," L said. "Something about Misa's popularity poll in this month's teen online Bop magazine..."

Light grunted. "That's Matsada for you," he said, eyeing the nearest camera, giving the detective a dirty look, hoping he'd see it. Turning back to L, he said, "I'll rather have finished our fight."

"It wasn't a fight, Light. You were venting, and I was the immediate target for your aggression, nothing more."

"You'd given up! That's why I got angry!"

"I haven't given up," L said. "I'm merely reevaluating my priorities." L returned to the now overturned couch and righted it, then crouched back down. "I have to think."

"Now that I've joined the team, we need to get aggressive," Light said firmly. "Stomp down hard on suspects, obtain leads, and bring the media back on our side."

L smirked thinly. "And whoever said you were a part of the team?"

Light's mouth went agape. He lifted his arm with the chain. "But I thought... And these...?"

"I said you and I are to be together 24/7. I said nothing about teaming up with you. I have the Kira taskforce for that."

Light's face darkened with seriousness. "You're being unreasonable, I could be a valuable resource," he said. "I want to catch Kira, too!"

"To prove your innocence only, isn't that right?"

"No! I want to stop these mass murders!"

"You really do have a nasty temper," L said pointedly. "It's unbecoming."

"I only get mad when people fail to act when a situation calls for it...like accepting someone who wants to help you! I also get angry when people do nothing when there are still options. And when I punched you, I acted because it sounded like you were giving up. Sometimes extreme things must be done to awaken people. And to set the record straight here and now - I am not or have ever been Kira! You're wrong, but you seem reluctant to accept that truth!"

"I'm normally never wrong and I'll state that truth right now. But when I am wrong, I freely admit it. The facts spoke for themselves based on the information collected. Light Yagami is or was Kira and Misa Amane is or was the Second Kira. Both forget they ever were."

Light dropped down on the couch next to L and huffed. "Fine. For the sake of argument and only that, say our memories were erased. How?" He put a hand to his head and ruffled through his hair for a bump on his skull. "I don't feel I was hit. Is it maybe too late to test for chemical induced amnesia?"

L stopped him right there. "No. You were in the cell alone. And something about you just changed. Your facial expression and eyes just brightened up, while previously you just scowled. I can't explain the sudden change in you. And then Misa: tight-lipped - who after awakening from a lengthy rest, began talking boisterously about everything, and wouldn't be quiet."

"I was trying to get you to let me go," Misa said. "I would've done anything for you to release me."

"You're both exceptionally strong willed, I admire that," L said. " But it's also a trait of my profile of Kira."

Light didn't argue. "It's a character trait most people have, honed according to the individual based on life experiences. With what you've told me about Misa's parents, killed by a burglar; her admiration of Kira would fall into line with a strong will in secession with Kira's ideals."

"Hey!" Misa protested. "Don't make me out to be the bad guy!"

L put a hand up, quieting her. Obviously the analysis wasn't finished, he wanted to hear more. "Go on, continue. Tell me your reason for a strong belief in justice and truth?"

"Simple: my father. He's the person I admire most! And the fact he's still working on the Kira case despite everything he's gone through even a heart attack brought on by too much stress dealing with this case, makes honored to be his son."

"Trite sentimentally," L said. "But a reasonable explanation."

"That, and my strong belief in what's right and wrong."

"Ah," L said. "Or what you perceive what's right and wrong."

Light looked confused. "Semantics and you know it," he said philosophically. "Those who fail to stick by their beliefs are hypocrites. That's what I believe."

"So, you believe I'm a hypocrite, because I don't arrest you and lock up for the rest of your life for what I believe in? At the rate of sounding arrogant, I - am - L, the most famous detective alive! What I say, people believe without question. I said you were Kira and the taskforce followed my lead. A person's point of view can change from minute to minute with new information. The true hypocrites are the one's who ignore the truth when it stands before them. The world is littered with hypocrisy."

Light felt slightly take aback. He had never heard Ryuzaki talk so passionately, it was somewhat uncharacteristic. He was definitely frustrated. "You're twisting my words," Light said. "You know there are always circumstances to ever crime. Not all of them are known, but there's always a reason."

"Kira's motives are simple. However, there's an undercurrent to his killings that I want to know about. His childish notion of a perfect world without crime is foolish, and he knows it. Kira murders criminals. Murder is a crime. That makes Kira a murderer. He undermines his own premise for justice. I'll find out how Kira got his powers and the method in which Kira kills. And how the power is passed. This I assure you."

There was a staunch seriousness in L's eyes that made Light gulp and he recalled the old axiom: "_To__catch__a__killer,__you__must__think__like__a__killer._"

"Where do you think Kira's powers went then? Into someone else?" Light said. "Do you think Kira's victims are discarded when their usefulness is ended and their memories are erased afterwards so Kira can't be fingered?"

"That is yet to be determined," L said. "But our twenty questions game provided some very valuable insight that warrants consideration."

"Namely what?"

"You mentioned an ancestor - Joseph Savant. According to sparse records I've been able to collect, the mansion he purchased and then expanded upon - once a monastery, and now the home of a religious cult group known as the Savant Society, is based at the bottom of Mount Fuji. I feel this society can provide further clues to the Kira case."

"How? I've never heard of them."

"Not many people have. But my sources indicate this cult is involved in Satanic rituals and witchcraft. On the surface, it could mean nothing. However, the mention of Shinigami (gods of death) in the Second Kira's videos to Sakura TV may give us a clue to the identity of Kira or how he gets his powers."

"So you want to investigate the Savant Society? Maybe we should just concentrate on what clues we can gather here. I still don't get why you want to get involved in this cult?"

"Your ancestry may be the clue I've been looking for, and why these powers were given to you."

"Now you're just talking crazy. Maybe you need to lie down for a while. My ancestry may only be a coincidence."

"I don't believe in coincidences," said L. "A good investigator must investigate all clues no matter how nongermane. Anything can lead to a clue."

"We're assuming the Savant Society has anything to do with Kira."

"That's what investigative work is: assumptions, conjecture, and reasonable accountability, anything to get to the truth. And there's one other thing that makes me believe that the Savant Society can provide a clue to Kira. It involves your friend Demetre Draycott."

Light looked shocked. "What about Demmy?"

"Demmy?"

"What I've called him ever since we kids. We both go to To-Ho University."

"I know. I met him there when we apprehended Misa. He witnessed the kidnapping. We had a little talk afterwards about it. He seemed generally understanding and he promised me he wouldn't say anything. But Watari has come across some information that may shock you, Light. For several weeks since your apprehensive, Watari and I have been expanding our search for other Kira suspects, and we undertook an extensive review of all your friends. Light, what I've trying to say is, Demetre might be involved in this cult. We don't know in what capacity, but he's been visited the mansion extensively since your capture, and with a female companion."

"Then let me talk to him, pull out some information. We've been best friends since kids. We know everything about each other. We don't keep secrets."

L's eyes narrowed. "Everyone has secrets," he said. "You can't possibly know everything about another person. Children are innocent; lying is a concept foreign to them. But in teens, lying is common to them; it's very versatile to their way of life. You lied to your father when you hid your Playboys in those hollow our books."

Light gulped, his face flushed mildly. "That's different, and you know it."

"When we confiscated your dairy, we took those as well. You have very good taste in woman."

"Thanks. Anyway, let me go check out the mansion," said Light. "For all the trouble I've put you through. To prove my innocence, as well."

"We both go." L raised his arm, reminding Light of the handcuffs. "I'll inform the taskforce I have a lead on another case that demands my immediate attention seeing how the Kira case has gone cold, and that I'm bringing you with me as a consult. I don't want you out of my sight. Watari will fill in the rest of the details to tell them."

"But the room is bugged, they just heard us," said Light.

"With a single look, I informed Watari to cut audio surveillance to the room so we could talk freely." L smiled ever so slightly. "A small glitch. They didn't hear anything past our argument."

"I want to go, too!" Misa said, dropping to Light's side on the couch, cradling his arm again. "I want to go with my _Shining__Light_!"

Light immediately snapped a look at her. "What did you say? Where did you hear that?" He grabbed her shoulders.

Misa winced. "Ow, you're hurting me, Light. Hear what?"

"It was in your dairy, Light," L said. Light turned to L. "She must have overheard it when we were reading it in conference. I read it all, including the last entry when you said you might be Kira, suffering from split personality disorder."

"No, I just made it up." Misa said defensively. "Because Light '_is_' my shining Light, saving me from a life of lonesome spinsterhood."

"Well, wherever you got it, Misa. Don't ever use it again!"

"Why?"

"A bad memory," Light said with a thoughtful sigh.

* * *

Tbc


	30. Motives And Discoveries

_**CHAPTER 29**_

With a well-worn bible in one hand, Demetre sat crossed-legged on a couch in his quarters, sipping a glass of wine from a crystal wine glass that he smuggled out of the kitchen.

He was a good son, according to his parents. He was the perfect student and the social gentleman when in public. Alone was another matter.

Everyone had a hidden side to their personality and he was no different. To adhere to adulthood, certain levels must be reached for stability in one's life, he believed. Sex and consuming alcohol were but two of them, that were the standard stigmas of coming of age.

He split his time between the Savant Mansion and home, introducing his parents or rather reacquainting them to Dana. They had known her when he and Light were in grade school and their freshman year in high school, before she mysteriously disappeared, and then reappeared here in the Savant Society, convincing him to join.

How could he refuse? Besides, he had his own agenda and he needed the Savant Society to do it.

He was seventeen and with Dana as his girlfriend, his parents accepted their relationship and their consummation of ciotus. As did Dana's father. Her mother was dead, however, dying of heart disease at an early age of forty-five.

Dana revealed that she wasn't very close to her mother, and her father lived at the mansion, and so knew of their relationship, despite it being against the "law" of the society. But an exception had been made, and Zurn was forced not to interfere.

Strangely enough, over the past couple of weeks, Zurn had indeed left them alone. Engaged in an unknown personal project for the Savant Society brethren. Demetre had attempted to seek information on it, but was refused. Even Tacoma was tight-lipped.

The Savant Mansion was quiet tonight and Demetre enjoyed the solitude. Well, he wasn't quite alone. He was never alone with the Shinigami.

Geist rubbed his chin in thought as he sat on a large stool and sturdy enough to hold his bulk looking down at a chess board that the both of them were playing.

Geist was playing chess, Demetre was just playing along.

Geist was a very slow player, so in between moves Demetre read his bible. It didn't matter, no one beat him at chess. Light hadn't beat him and a Shinigami who _thought_ he could see the future wouldn't either, because Demetre kept him guessing, and in fortune telling and the possibility of alternative realities, a smart player would cause his opponent with Geist's abilities to second-guess what he saw.

Much like life, the ultimate strategist and tactician wins, and there were many paths to take to win, so Geist's omniscience with the Future Ob was futile. And recently the future had been foggy as seen in the Ob, so Geist couldn't cheat even if he wanted to…

Demetre heared Geist groan unable to decide where to move on the board, reading a passage from the Book of Revelations - when Geist finally made a move.

But Demetre saw it coming - thinking at least five moves ahead - and quickly countered it, temporarily putting down his bible put the Shinigami in checkmate.

Geist growled noisily and Demetre chuckled.

"_And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, goes into perdition..._ Revelation 17:11," Demetre read. "Sort of describes Kira, don't you think?"

"I hate your incisive Bible prattling," Geist grumbled annoyed, looking down at the board as if attempting to decipher how he lost.

"_Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, thou shall he also reap,_" he cited from memory. "Galatians 6:7."

"Why do you insist on quoting scripture to me? I'm not impressed."

"I don't quote God's words to impress you, Shinigami, I speak them to give strength to them," Demetre said. "_For whoever speaks my name throughout history, I shall never die._"

"And what part of your God's book does that come from?"

"It doesn't. It comes from an ancient Egyptian ruler named Rameses the Great who ruled Egypt in the 19th dynasty during the New Kingdom era, some 4,000 short years ago according to Shinigami years. He was the greatest of the Pharaohs and created a dynasty unmatched. But for even longer, God's name and law has resided in the minds and hearts for just as long."

"He was a glorified lair from what I recall. He lost a major battle, but claimed victory. Humanity is filled with omissions and falsehoods. If you knew your world's true history, you'd wonder how you ever evolved at all."

"History changes daily," Demetre said. "There have been many evolutions of Man, and destructions and rebirths. Some believe we are in the end of days. But with the Shinigami on Earth, I foresee a rebirth, not a destruction. One where doomsday prophecies lose their merit."

"Your god won't save you," Geist stated. "I've seen the fate of your species and its not pleasant. Your world will perish and your species will be obliterated in an instant."

"The future has many facets, paths of virtue and paths of damnation. Ancient cultures predicting the end of the world is laughable. The virtuous will never die, we will ascend to the heavens and take our place at God's side."

This time Geist laughed. "You forget, those who use the Death Note can neither go to Heaven or Hell."

Demetre smiled slyly. "There is always an exception to every rule."

"You tell that to the Shinigami King. He makes no exceptions."

"The fact that he has allowed so many Shinigami to descend upon my world whereas only six can, according to Shinigami law as you've told me, justifies he breaks his own rules."

"Well, he can do that. He's the Shinigami King."

"Lead by example or chaos reigns."

"_Don't you dare disrespect the Shinigami King!_"

"Being disrespectful and being truthful are two entirely different things, my friend. However, I do apologize. I agree. Superior beings do have the right to innate their own laws if they choose. The bible even wades contradiction to God's righteous benevolence, killing and humiliating humans for the sake of self-gratification and entertainment. So both your king and _mine_ have something in common. And I don't hold anything against it. I even encourage it."

"I don't get you sometimes," Geist said. "You accept your god's judgments and yet Kira's you despise, despite the murdering of hundred of criminals has made your society safer."

"No!" Demetre threw his wine glass against the wall in a moment of anger, getting to his feet. His bible dropped to the floor. "Light Yagami is a murderer! He's not a god! There's only one true redeemer! And Light'll pay for killing my grandfather! This I vow!"

"If I were human, I'd be afraid of you right now." Geist chuckled. "The adamant look in your eyes is that of a demon in your biblical folklore. A fire filling your eyes with hate and revenge."

"And what's wrong with hate and revenge if not for a just cause?" Demetre picked up his bible and then kissed his crucifix. "Do I look so dangerous? _If you know that He is righteous, you know this as well: Everyone who does what is right has been born of Him_. And I will stop Kira, this I vow!"

* * *

A killer skulked in the shadows with malicious intent. The darkened alleyways of the many of the dejected locations in downtown Kanto, Japan were his home. His next victim would be found here, and he was correct.

Cloaked, wearing dark clothing and an oversized hood to cover his face, he crept towards a sleeping vagrant who lain next to a garbage receptacle.

It was a warm night. The killer stood over his next would be victim and pulled a small metal wooden box and took out a syringe and a vale from its padded interior. He filled the syringe to the appropriate dosage, crouched down, and plunged it deep into the man's chest.

The act startled the man and he screamed. But the killer quickly clamped a hand over his victim's mouth as he depressed the plunger, ejecting the adrenaline into the man's heart. It would simulate cardiac arrest, causing the heart muscle to pump at an accelerated rate until it burned out. A heart attack.

It was very fast. The man died quickly. Whether due to his age, malnutrition or the state of his thin frame, he died soon after the act of murder.

Slumped over, the killer frowned. _Too easy_, he thought. _This one was no fun_.

It would be blamed on Kira, but this killing didn't satisfy his lust for death.

He returned the items back to the case and stood. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a cell phone. He speed dialed a number.

"It's done. Again."

It was all he said, all that needed to be said to his contact. By now the murders were noticed by the media.

**_"Kira strikes again!" _**

**_"Another Kira murder spree!"_**

**_"Kira targeting the homeless now!"_**

_Plebs of society, worthless individuals who helped naught but tarnish the city of its beauty. It fit Kira's motives to cleanse the world of undesirables,_ he thought. And he was paid well for each killing. But just the act of murder was payment enough, actuality.

He walked out of the dank alley and hunted for another victim.

This was number seven.

* * *

**TWO DAYS LATER…**

****  
"Yes Mom, I'm fine..." Light spoke to his mother on his cell phone. "Dad and I, we just, uh, decided to stay a little longer this year on our sabbatical..."

He looked at his father, who nodded. Light hated to lie to his mother about anything, especially where he'd been these last two months being a "member" of the task force for Kira but in truth handcuffed to L because the detective didn't trust him, but telling her the truth was out of the question.

Ryuzaki and the rest of the Kira taskforce were listening. Light felt like some playwright lair putting on a show for an audience.

A white lie, the term was called; a lie told to another person to ease their mind and protect them.

How could he tell his mother and sister that he was L's prime suspect for Kira? The accusation was sickening enough. His over-reactive, sensitive mother didn't need to know.

Even though he _knew_ he was innocent.

If he knew that was true, however, then why did he _also_ doubt himself?

His feelings mirrored Kira's. Certain people deserved to die for their sinister actions, but he could never murder anyone. Could he? And how? By mere telepathy? Was that even possible?

And so many hundreds of people had died by Kira's hands. Even police officers and FBI agents. He couldn't even conceive the mentality of _this_ person who could commit such horrendous atrocities.

And if was this been that _person_…?

_No_, he had to control any wild conjecture and self-incrimination, and focus on catching Kira. He had to absolutely clear his name!

"Light?" his mother's voice came over the receiver. "Are you there?"

Light startled momentarily. He had to stop over-analyzing and "daydreaming".

"Y-yes, Mom," he stuttered a response. "Sorry to worry you. Dad and I should be back soon. I was able to make this call with my cell because I found a clearing, but it looks like we'll loose reception soon."

However, that was a bold face lie not a white lie. And he felt like throwing up after telling it to his mother.

The annual sabbatical was a camping trip with him and his father and Demmy, hiking and conducting survival training in the woods; living off the lay of the land, snaring their own meals, catching fish in a near-by stream, building campfires, directional navigation by the stars, first aid, and many other things. It was something fun and educational; his father was very knowledgeable in such things, passing down what he learnt from Light's grandfather.

"But Demetre didn't join us this year," Light said.

"I know, he was worried about you when you didn't see you in school. He came to see us a few days ago wondering where you had gone, he and...Light, Dana's back."

Light gasped and then put a hand to his mouth. He really felt sick this time. He knew he had yelled at Misa for brining up the term _Shining Light_, because this is what Dana used to call him, but it had him thinking of Dana ever since then.

Love sick, he was love sick for her, despite her being a "bad memory". She had broken his heart, but he couldn't - no matter how hard he tried - stop thinking of her.

He looked to his father, and he waved him to continue. He knew how Light felt about her, or had felt about her. He also felt angry towards her to for just leaving him.

Light was a mix with emotions right now.

"Dana? Did she…say where'd she's been these last five years? Why is she with Demmy?"

"She never explained that, but I got the impression that they were together. I'm sorry, Light. I know much you liked Dana. And when she just disappeared, we were all worried."

Light frowned. "Yes," he said stolidly. _Demmy? She's with him now? She chose him over me? She always liked him better. I saw them looking at each other…how he flirted with her and her back!_ "Did they say anything?" There was a hint of bitterness in his voice now.

"They only asked where you were," his mother said, she was starting to sound concerned. "Is everything already, Light?"

He had to assure her things were well, when they were not. "Yes Mom, don't worry. We'll be home soon. Dad and I want to stay out here for another week or so, because with college this might be the last time we can do this."

"I understand," she said. "But you're missing so much school. I know you're very smart, Light, but you'll fall behind and have to repeat your first year. Are you sure you want to do this now? I thought you were anxious to join the NPA?"

"I'm still young, Mom. There's lots of time," he said assuredly to her, but he wasn't sure himself.

"You're not my little boy anymore. You're grown up. You can make your own decisions now."

Light frowned, he felt ashamed deceiving her. His mother was such a trusting woman and lying to her was just wrong.

"I'll always be your little boy, Mom, nothing'll change that. I love you."

"I love you too, Light. See you soon."

He ended the call, closed up his phone and clutched it tightly in his hand. He shut his eyes, hoping for a second all this was some kind of nightmare he could wake from. But it wasn't, and anger swelled inside him. Dana had betrayed him once more and with his best friend, Demetre.

His father stood by his side and put a hand on his shoulder. Light composed himself and looked up at his father. He was upset, but tried not to show his disappointment. He cleared his throat, gave his father a thin smile, and looked at the others.

And immediately noticed L had a weird smirk on his face, crouched on a chair in his unusual manner, opponent him, his head tilted slightly, with a finger partially in his mouth.

"What's with that look, Ryuzaki?" Light said angrily. "Do you find pleasure in my pain?"

"On the contrary, Light. It's the first time I've seen genuine emotion from you, not contrived for an audience."

"And what does that mean?" Anger seethed in his voice and the last thing he felt was being interrogated about his emotions. He stood up. "I have to find Dana, speak to her and ask her why she left, and why she's now with Demmy."

"We'll get to that," L said. "I feel genuine emotion from you. First despair for lying to your mother and now anger for learning about your ex-girlfriend."

"So? Why should that shock you?"

"You're definitely not exhibiting what I'd call sociopathic behavior or Kira persona. You're expressing genuine emotion. Unless this is all an act, again?"

Light clenched his teeth, then he launched himself at L.

Mastuda had to subdue him. "He was paying you a compliment, Light," the young detective said, struggling against the tall, reedy teen. "He knows you're not Kira, right?"

"Unfortunately there's still a small percentage standing that Light is Kira." L corrected the young NPA detective. "But we'll deal with that later. We have a more pressing matter to contend with."

L rotated in his chair, and pointed for one of the detectives to roll him to the control board of their command centre monitoring station. Aizawa did. And the taskforce gathered around the detective as L pressed a button on a keyboard.

On one of the box screens in the wall, the profile of a man popped up. Another screen showed a second profile. All in all, nine "victims" were shown, but there were more.

"Now, we have a strange case of a possible copy cat killer," he said. "Seven victims have been found dead from heart attacks, but with in depth autopsies they were _actually_ murdered."

"Murdered how?" Soichiro Yagami said. "And how do they connect to the Kira case?"

"Each victim was injected with adrenaline directly into the heart. Quite a lot in fact. This would give the effect of a heart attack, a violent one."

"Why would anyone do such a thing?" Mastuda said, his voice aghast.

"The mentality of certain people to crave attention is unbelievable at times," L explained, even awed at the audacity of these crimes. "The investigation is still on going. I would like the taskforce to investigate, seeing that _Kira_ - " L gave a sideways glance to L, standing with his arms crossed across his chest, eyeing L with distain "- has momentarily eluded us. I want this person caught! These Kira-like killing must stop _now_."

**To be continued…**


End file.
